PORTRAIT  OF  THE  EMPEROR  NICOLAS  II 
By  VALENTINE  SYEROV 


THE  RUSSIAN  DIARY 
OF  AN  ENGLISHMAN 

Petrograd,    1 9 15-19 1 7 


NEW  YORK 

ROBERT  M.   McBRIDE   AND   COMPANY 

1919 


Printed  in  Great  Britain 


CONTENTS 


NINETEEN  FIFTEEN  : 

Petrograd  :  Moscow  :  The  Hermitage  Pictures  :  Fore- 
bodings in  the  Capital  :  Karsavina  :  Palace  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Dmitri  :  Interview  with  Sazonov  :  The  Empress's 
Hospital  :  Church  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  :  M.  Stolypin's 
Daughters  :  Visit  to  Dvinsk  :  On  a  Hospital  Train  :  The 
Tzesarevich  at  the  Front  :  Visit  to  Anglo-Russian 
Hospital  pp.  11-39 

NINETEEN  SIXTEEN  : 

Dinner  at  the  French  Embassy  :  Interview  with  the 
Emperor  :  The  Emperor  on  Lord  Kitchener  :  Syerov's 
Portrait  of  the  Emperor  :  Cossack  Georgian  Officers  : 
Crossing  the  Caucasus  Mountains  :  Good  Friday  Cere- 
monies :  At  Kiev  :  Lady  Muriel  Paget :  American  Finan- 
ciers in  Petrograd  :  Voyage  on  the  Volga  :  The  Tzesare- 
vich in  Stavka  :  Journey  to  England  :  At  Torneo  :  At 
the  Kasan  Cathedral  :  Disappearance  of  Rasputin  : 
Grand  Duke  Dmitri  and  Rasputin  :  Concerning  Ras- 
putin's Death  pp.  43-79 

NINETEEN  SEVENTEEN : 

Rasputin  at  Yusupov  Palace  :  Murder  of  Rasputin  : 
Deportation  of  Dmitri  :  Influence  of  Sir  George 
Buchanan  :  Harsh  Treatment  of  Culprits  :  Petition 
to  the  Emperor  :  Sazonov  Ambassador  to  England  : 
The  British  Mission  :  Street  Demonstrations  :  Firing 
on  the  Crowd  :  Cossacks  Patrolling  the  Streets  : 
Sympathy  with  the  Populace  :  Annihilation  of  the 
Police  :  The  Emperor  at  Bologoe  :  Death  of  Stackel- 
berg  :  The  Social  Democrats  :  Situation  at  Foreign 
Office  :  The  New  Government  :  Abdication  of  the 
Emperor  :  Food  Scarcity  :  Visit  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  : 

vn\  6 


405970 


viii  CONTENTS 

NINETEEN  SEVENTEEN— continued 

The  Empress  and  the  Abdication  :  Soldiers  support 
the  Revolution  :  The  Dowager  Empress  :  Emperor  and 
Empress  arrested  :  Break-up  of  the  Army  :  The  Ballet 
under  New  Regime  :  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  arrested  : 
Felix  Yusupov  :  Constitution  for  Russia  :  Destitution 
of  the  Imperial  Family  :  Burial  of  Victims  :  Esthonian 
Demonstration  :  Anarchy  among  Working  Classes  : 
Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  :  Labour  Members  at  Petro- 
grad  :  Lenin  the  Agent  of  Germany  :  At  Yalta  :  Visit 
to  Dowager  Empress  :  Reminiscences  of  1914  :  Funeral 
of  Princess  Dolgoruki  :  Travelling  under  Guard  :  In- 
ventories of  Possessions  :  Turmoil  in  Popular  Quarter  : 
Terror  of  the  Cossacks  :  Fighting  in  the  Nevski  Pros- 
pekt :  Peter-Paul  Fortress  capitulates  :  Imperial  Family 
in  Captivity  :  Kerenski  in  Winter  Palace  :  At  Kislo- 
vodsk :  Departure  of  Imperial  Family  :  Count  Bencken- 
dorff  :  Princess  Irene  Yusupov :  At  Moghilev  :  Kornilov's 
Bodyguard  :  Kerenski  as  Dictator  :  General  Kornilov  : 
Requiem  Service  for  Alexander  II  :  Kornilov  and 
Kerenski  :  Failure  of  Kornilov  :  Grand  Dukes  under 
Arrest  :  Republic  Proclaimed  :  Petrograd  without 
Bread  pp.  83-210 

APPENDICES  : 

I.  Petition  to   the  Emperor  on  behalf  of  the  Grand 
Duke    Dmitri   Pavlovich,   and   the   Emperor's   Reply 
thereto  pp.  213-214 

II.  Memorandum  privately  circulated  on  December  31, 
1916  pp.  215-217 

III.  The  Police  Report  of  December  30,  1916    pp.  218-222 
INDEX  pp.  225-228 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

To  face  p. 

PORTRAIT     OF     THE     EMPEROR     NICOLAS     II.      BY 
VALENTINE  SYEROV  Frontispiece 

PETERHOF  12 

THE    EMPRESS  AND  HER  TWO  ELDER   DAUGHTERS, 

OLGA  AND  TATIANA,  AS  RED  CROSS  NURSES  28 

THE  TZESAREVICH  IN  COSSACK  UNIFORM  36 

THE  GRAND  DUCHESS  VLADIMIR  44 

FEODOROVSKI  SOBOR,  THE  EMPEROR'S  CHURCH  AT 

TSARSKOE  SELO  48 

THE  GRAND  DUKE  DMITRI  PAVLOVICH  74 

THE  EMPRESS  ALEXANDRA  FEODOROVNA  94 

PRINCE  FELIX  YUSUPOV  168 

THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY  186 


Xlll 


THE  RUSSIAN  DIARY 
OF  AN  ENGLISHMAN 


The  Imperial  Family  of 

ROMANOV 


Emperor 
Alexander  II 


Emperor 
Alexander  III 

1845-1894 

m.  1866 

Marie  Feodorovna 

b.  1847 

(Princess  Dagmar 
of  Denmark) 


G.  D. 
Constantin 

1827-1892 


G.D. 

G.D. 

G.D. 

G.  D.               G.  D. 

G.D. 

Vladimir 

Marie 

Serge 

Paul          Nicolai 

Olga 

1847-1909 

1853-1900 

1857-1905 

b.  1860           b.  1850 

1851-1915 

m.  1874 
Marie 

m.  1874 

Alfred 

m.  1884 

Elizabeth 

m.  1889  (ist)  > 
Alexandra 

m.  1867 
George 

Pavlovna 

Duke  of 

Princess 

Princess  of     |             , 

King 

Duchess  of 
Mecklenburg 
6.2.5.1854 

Edinburgh 
and  Saxe- 
Coburg-Gotha 
and  had 

of  Hesse 

Greec 
1870-1 

e         <•  m.  2na 
jql        (morg.) 
1902 
Olga 

of  the 
Hellenes 
and  has 
issue 

issue 

Karnovich 

divorced 

wife  of 

Pistohlkors 

Princess 

Palei 

Emperor 

Nicolai  II 

1868-1918 

m.  1894 
Alexandra 

Feodorovna 

(Princess  Alix 

of  Hesse) 

1872-1918 


G.D. 

Xenie 

b.  1875 

m.  1894 

Grand  Duke 

Alexander 

Michailovich 


G.  D. 

Michail 

b.  1878 
m.  1911  (morg.) 

Nathalie 

Scheremetersky 

Comtesse  Brassbv 

(divorced  wife 
of  von  Woulfert) 


ok 

Olga 

b.  1882 

m. 1901 

Duke  of 

Oldenburg 


G.  D. 

Kyrill 

b.  1876 

m.  1905 

Victoria 

Princess  of 

Saxe-Coburg 

and  Gotha 

(divorced  wife 

of  Grand  Duke 

of  Hesse) 


G.  D. 
Boris 

b.  1877 


G.D. 

Olga 

1895-1918 


G.D. 

Tatiana 

1897-1918 


G.D. 

Marie 
1899-1918 


G.D. 

Anastasie 

1901-1918 


Kniperor 

Nicolai  I 

1796-1855 

succeeded 

1825 

m.  Charlotte 
of  Pnissia 

I 


D. 

n- 
itin 

858 

ind 
ssue 


G.D. 

Nicolai 

1831-1891 

w.  Alex  Petrovna 

Duchess  of  Oldenburg 

~l          V"        ! 

G.  D.  G.  D.          G.  D. 

Dmitri     Nicolai    Peter 

ft.  1860         6.  1856      m.  and 
Com. -in-  has  issue 

Chief 
till  Sept. 

1915 
m. 1907 
Princess 
Anastasie 
of  Monte- 
negro, 
divorced 
1906  from 
Romanovsky 


G.D. 
Michail 

1832-1909 
m.  a  princess  of  Baden 


G.  D.  G.  D.  G.  D. 

Nicolai  Anastasie  Michail 

b. 1859          b.  1860         b.  1861 


D. 

ire 

879 


Helene 

b.  1882 
m.  1902 
Prince 
Nicolas 
of  Greece 


Marie 

b. 1890 

m. 1908 

William 

Duke  of 

Sudermanie 

(marriage 

dissolved) 


oo.         o.D. 
George   Alexander 

fc. 1863  b. 1866 

m.  and          m. 1894 
has      Grand  Duchess 
issue          Xenia 

Alexandrovna 


G.D. 
Serge 

b.  1869 


G.D.  Six  H.H.  Prince 

Dmitri  children  irene   m.  1914  Felix 

b.  1891  Alexandrovna  Yusupov 

Princess  of        (son  of  Prince 
Russia  Felix  Yusupov). 

b.  1895  b.  1887 


G.D. 
Alexei 

Tzesarevich) 
1904-1918 


H.H. 

Marie 

b.  1907 


H'H. 
Kira 
b. 1909 


TO 

THE  COUNTESS  BETSY  SCHUVAIyOV 

WHO   ADVISED    ME   TO    PUBLISH    MY   DIARY 

THIS    BOOK 
IS   RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED 


THE  RUSSIAN  DIARY  OF  AN 
ENGLISHMAN 

INTRODUCTION 

A  the  date  when  this  Diary  opens  the  Great 
European  War  had  been  raging  for  just 
upon  a  twelvemonth.  But  for  Russia  there 
were  perils  within  as  well  as  without.  Those  who  had 
eyes  to  see  knew  that  the  long-drawn  drama  of  the 
Tsardom  was  swiftly  approaching  its  climax.  The 
Diarist's  notes  reflect  the  shifting  moods  of  hope, 
of  levity,  of  doubt,  of  foreboding,  by  which  in  turn 
the  public  mind  was  swayed,  and  vividly  reveal 
the  ever-downward  course  of  events  towards  the 
destined  abyss  of  dissolution.  The  situation,  as 
he  sadly  says,  is  always  "  going  from  worse  to 
worst "  ;  he  sees  the  whole  social  fabric  already 
menaced  with  annihilation,  and  he  quits  Russia  at 
the  moment  when  the  Bolshevik  volcano  is  boiling 
up  to  its  fiery  finale. 

The  political  system  of  Russia  was  once  aptly 
described  as  Absolutism  tempered  by  Assassination. 
Several  of  the  earlier  Romanovs  died  violent  deaths  ; 
while  of  the  three  latest  Emperors  two  have  been 
murdered,  the  third  escaping  a  like  fate  more  often 
and  more  narrowly  than  the  world  ever  knew.  The 

1  A 


2  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

fight  between  Autocracy  and  Assassination  has  been 
long  and  obstinate.  From  the  time  of  the  fourth 
Romanov  ruler,  Peter  the  Great,  down  to  the  very 
end  of  the  dynasty — a  period  of  two  hundred  years 
— Prussian  influence  dominated  the  Court  and 
Government  of  Petrograd,  the  absolutist  regime  in 
Russia  borrowing  its  distinctive  colour  from  that 
Prussian  variety  of  which  Frederick  the  Great  and 
his  grim  father  are  the  typical  representatives. 
For  the  last  century  and  a  half  every  Russian 
Emperor,  without  exception,  has  married  a  German 
wife  ;  in  each  generation  the  spirit  of  Prussianism 
has  been  reinforced  by  the  introduction  of  a  fresh 
German  princess  to  become  the  spouse  of  one 
Emperor  and  the  parent  of  another.  German 
female  ambition,  soaring  higher  still,  actually 
captured  supreme  power  when  in  1762  Paul  Ill's 
widow,  a  princess  of  Anhalt-Zerbst,  became  Auto- 
crat of  All  the  Russias  as  the  Empress  Catherine  II. 
To  exhibit  the  bearing  on  recent  events  of  that 
weird  episode  in  Muscovite  history  as  a  cherished 
tradition  and  a  possible  exemplar  is  to  shed  light 
on  some  of  the  most  suggestive  passages  in  the 
Diary  before  us. 

The  ten  years  anterior  to  1915  witnessed  an 
unceasing  struggle  for  the  mastery  between  the  old 
Absolutism  and  various  movements  for  liberalising 
the  form  of  government.  In  1905  the  Russian 
hereditary  monarchy  professed  itself  "  constitu- 
tional," but  the  regime  remained  in  practice  largely 
autocratic.  The  Duma  of  August  1905  was  a  purely 
consultative  body  to  which,  however,  under  a  new 


INTRODUCTION  3 

law  of  October,  was  accorded  legislative  power  ; 
an  upper  House  being  fashioned  out  of  the  old 
Council  of  the  Empire.  That  first  Duma  was 
dissolved  in  1906,  its  successor  in  1907  ;  the  next 
lived  till  1912,  and  the  fourth  proved  to  be  the 
last.  Throughout  this  whole  period  the  Emperor's 
best  advisers  were  advocating  concessions  in  the 
interests  alike  of  the  people  and  of  the  Throne 
itself ;  while  the  Germanophil  party,  in  alliance 
with  the  Empress,  offered  uncompromising  resis- 
tance to  every  measure  for  limiting  autocratic 
power. 

That  the  Revolution  in  its  "  Red  "  form  was 
bound  to  arrive  sooner  or  later  is  a  highly  probable 
speculation  ;  but  the  immediate  cause  of  the  revolt 
that  overwhelmed  the  Monarchy  was  the  unbounded 
control  established  by  a  resolute  woman  over  a 
husband  whose  will,  weak  by  nature,  had  been — 
it  is  said — further  enfeebled  by  habits  of  intem- 
perance. It  was  a  deepening  of  the  tragedy  that 
the  Empress,  in  whose  hands  the  Emperor  was  as 
wax,  should  in  later  years  have  been  under  the 
spell  of  the  monk  Rasputin — an  ignorant,  unscrupu- 
lous bigot  who,  perhaps  correctly,  identified  the 
temporal  prosperity  of  the  Russian  Church  with 
the  maintenance  of  Autocracy. 

The  sufferings  and  tragic  end  of  this  poor  lady 
may  well  stay  the  pen  of  hostile  criticism,  but  the 
unravelling  of  the  facts  about  her  will  do  something 
to  relieve  her  memory  of  at  least  a  part  of  the 
obloquy  cast  upon  it. 

Whatever  the  nature  and  degree  of  Rasputin's 


4  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

criminality,  the  popularly  accepted  legends  of  the 
crafty  monk's  relations  with  the  credulous  Empress 
have  not  been  endorsed  by  the  Diarist  or  any  other 
competent  observer.  Her  agonising  anxiety  for  the 
health  of  the  Tzesarevich  rendered  her  the  easier 
prey  to  the  impostor's  pretensions  as  a  miracle- 
worker.  That  she  was  a  traitor  to  Russia  is  an 
allegation  devoid  of  proof  or  probability.  Her 
attitude  was  not  anti-Entente  but  anti-Duma.  The 
key  to  her  whole  policy  was  not  pro-German 
sympathy,  but  a  consuming  determination  to  set 
her  son  on  the  throne  of  his  father,  with  uncurtailed 
prerogatives  and  with  herself  as  Regent — that  is, 
as  acting  Sovereign.  Her  ambition  was  to  play  the 
role  of  Catherine  II,  believing  that  in  no  other  way 
could  the  Throne,  unshorn  of  its  absolute  power, 
be  safeguarded  for  her  idolised  boy. 

Towards  the  end  of  1916  the  course  cf  events 
served  to  crystallise  her  purpose.  Yielding  not 
only  to  the  urgent  representations  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished and  trustworthy  of  his  own  entourage, 
but  to  the  earnest  counsels  of  august  kinsmen  whose 
personal  experience  of  constitutional  kingship  lent 
weight  to  their  words,  the  Emperor  Nicolas  decided 
to  grant  his  people  a  real  Constitution  of  the 
Western  type.  To  effect  this  object  he  com- 
manded Prince  Lvov  to  get  together  a  Ministry 
and  to  formulate  a  scheme  which  should  be  pro- 
claimed on  the  Emperor's  name-day,  the  Feast  of 
St.  Nicolas,  December  6. 

The  Empress,  hypnotised  by  Rasputin,  vas 
furious,  and  at  once  worked  her  best  and  hardest  to 


INTRODUCTION  5 

defeat  her  husband's  intention.  She  had  already 
brought  about  the  removal  of  the  Grand  Duke 
Nicolas  from  the  supreme  military  command,  and 
now — as  the  Diarist  shows — she  compassed  the  exile 
from  the  Court  and  the  capital  of  certain  members 
of  the  Imperial  family  whose  influence  was  to  be 
dreaded  as  opposed  to  her  own.  Her  irresistible 
power  over  the  Emperor  induced  him  to  withdraw 
his  scheme  of  Constitutional  Reform.  In  December 
Rasputin  is  said,  while  in  his  cups,  to  have  revealed 
to  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Pavlovich  and  Prince 
Felix  Yusupov  the  Empress's  fixed  intention,  early 
in  January  1917^0  launch  a  coup  d'etat  to  dethrone 
the  Emperor  on  the  plea  of  his  weak  health,  and 
herself  to  assume  the  reins  of  Government  in  the 
name  and  on  behalf  of  her  son. 

The  Diarist,  in  the  only  authentic  record  yet 
made  known,  describes  the  promptitude  with  which 
Rasputin's  enemies  took  action  to  save  the  country  ; 
the  "  removal "  of  Rasputin  just  before  Christmas ; 
the  grief  and  rage  of  the  Empress,  and  the  arrest 
and  exile,  on  her  illegal  personal  order,  of  the  Grand 
Duke  and  Prince — an  invasion  of  their  immemorial 
privilege  which  aroused  the  resentment  and  concern 
of  the  Imperial  family.  In  these  Notes  the  writer 
relates  how  the  Emperor,  having  alienated  the 
sympathies  of  his  own  family,  fell  more  hopelessly 
than  ever  under  his  wife's  control,  and  how  the 
very  statesmen  to  whom  he  had  entrusted  the 
framing  and  enactment  of  the  new  Constitu- 
tional Law  became  convinced  at  last  of  the 
necessity  of  demanding  their  Sovereign's  abdica- 


6  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

tion  and  of  constituting  themselves  a  Provisional 
Government. 

The  change  of  regime  was  carried  out  on  March  12, 
the  intention  of  Prince  Lvov's  Government  being 
to  accept  the  Grand  Duke  Michail  Alexandrovich 
as  Regent  of  the  Empire.  By  May  5  the  ruling 
junta  had  been  reorganised  on  a  republican  basis, 
and  on  August  6  was  displaced  by  a  new  combina- 
tion under  Alexander  Kerenski.  The  intimate 
personal  reminiscences  of  the  Diarist,  gathered 
during  the  Kerenski  dictatorship,  make  their  own 
appeal  to  readers  who  are  fascinated  by  the  details 
of  its  unhappy  combination  of  pretentious  incom- 
petence and  personal  cowardice.  After  a  couple  of 
months  the  Kerenski  Government  on  October  8 
had  to  submit  to  a  drastic  "  reorganisation,"  and 
for  a  month  longer  was  allowed  to  play  at  wielding 
power.  This  flimsy  pretence  was  brushed  aside  on 
November  10,  when  a  Military  Revolutionary  Com- 
mittee set  up  as  the  supreme  authority  the  "  All 
Russian  Congress  of  the  Committees  of  Workers, 
Soldiers,  and  Peasants." 

For  these  developments,  however,  the  Diarist 
did  not  wait,  having  left  Petrograd  on  September  16. 
The  Diarist's  descriptions  of  his  remarkable  inter- 
view with  the  Emperor,  reported  at  the  time  to 
His  Majesty's  royal  relatives  in  England  ;  of  the 
killing  of  Rasputin,  received  by  the  author  from 
the  perpetrator's  own  lips ;  the  text  of  the  Petition 
on  behalf  of  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  addressed 
by  his  near  relatives  to  the  Emperor,  with  His 
Majesty's  reply ;  the  account  given  to  the  Diarist 


INTRODUCTION  7 

by  the  Emperor  Alexander's  own  daughter-in-law  of 
the  circumstances  of  his  end;  and  the  narrative 
of  the  Author's  personal  experiences  during  the 
Revolution  of  1917 — are  the  outstanding  features 
of  a  book  whose  very  informality  conveys  a  sense 
of  freshness  and  truth  which  a  more  conventional 
work  might  fail  to  produce. 


NINETEEN  FIFTEEN 


NINETEEN  FIFTEEN 

The  Diary  and  Letters  of  which  this  book  consists  are 
given  in  chronological  order.  The  letters  D.  and 
L.  in  margin  signify  Diary  and  Letter.  The  blank 
spaces  indicate  the  Author's  absence  from  Petrograd. 

PETROGRAD.    Arrived  at  11  p.m.    Drove  to        1915 
Hotel  de  PEurope  and  was  given  the  same  r^j1^'  D 
room,  No.  157,  I  occupied  in  March  1914. 

At   luncheon    yesterday    at    the    Embassy    met  Wednesday, 
Colonel  C.  B.  Thomson,  our  Military  Attache  from  July  2I'  D' 
Bucarest,  whom  I  had  not  seen  since  the  autumn 
of   1914  in   Paris.     Took  him  to  Tsarskoe   Selo ; 
luncheon  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  in  a 
tent  in  her  garden,  where  all  her  meals  are  served 
in  the  summer.     She  came  back  from  a  regimental 
ceremony  at  the  parish  church.     The  crowd  was 
so  great  that  she  could  not  get  her  carriage  and 
the  Emperor  sent  her  home. 

RAPTI.     Arrived  4.30  a.m.  by  automobile  with  Sunday, 
Polovtsov  at  his  country  house,*  a  large  building  ^uly  25'  D* 
in    Louis-Quinze    style,    with    terraces    of    formal 
gardens  overlooking  an  immense  dark  lake  com- 
pletely encircled  by  woods   to  the  water's  edge. 
Full  of  beautiful  things,  and  its  hot-houses  and 
conservatories  famous. 

*  Destroyed  in  the  winter  of  1917-18. 
ii 


12  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  PETROGRAD.     Dined  with  Grand  Duchess  Vladi- 

July  26.'  D.  mir  at  Tsars koe.     Motored  back  to  Petrograd  with 

the  Ambassador  and  Lady  Georgina. 

Wednesday,  H.E.  and  Lady  Georgina  and  Miss  Meriel  dined 
with  me  on  the  roof  of  my  hotel.  Lovely  night, 
no  wind.  My  friends  the  swifts,  whistling  through 
the  air,  reminded  me  of  their  relatives  in  Venice. 
A  few  aeroplanes. 

Thursday,  Motored  with  Princess  Orlov  *  and  Countess 
Ju  y  29.  D.  jj^lene  Potocki  t  to  Strelna,  the  Orlov  house,  given 
by  the  Emperor  Nicolas  I  to  the  family  and 
arranged  in  the  pseudo-Gothic  of  that  time.  Held 
up  at  the  railway  crossing  by  a  train  from  Vladi- 
vostok of  forty  wagons,  laden  with  automobiles. 
Countess  Helene's  two  sons,  whom  I  had  known 
since  childhood,  came  over  from  the  Cadet  School 
of  Krasnoe  Selo. 

Wednesday,       To  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  visit  the  Grand  Duchess  on 
^g-  4-    D.  her    f gte    ^jul^ .  22?    Q  g  ^    s>    Mary    Magdalen). 

Brought  her  tuberoses  and  found  her  at  tea  with 
several  ladies  and  Sazonov,  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs,  whom  I  had  met  at  dinner  at  the  Embassy 
in  1914.  He  questioned  me  at  some  length  about 
England  and  France. 

Thursday,          Polovtsov    motored    me    and    Cunard    of    the 

ug'  5'       "  Embassy  to  Peterhof  just  before  9  p.m.,  too  late 

to  visit  the  palace,  but  the  fountains  were  playing. 

Overwhelmed  by  the  transcendent  beauty  of  the 

place,  the  fountains,  and  the  view  across  the  sea. 

*  Nee  Princess  Belosselski-Belozerski,  m.  Prince  Vladimir 
Nicolaievich  Qrlov. 

|  Nee  Princess  Radziwill,  m.  Count  Joseph  Potocki. 


PETERHOF 


PETERHOF 


PETROGRAD  13 

Strolled  through  the  alleys  to  "  Mon  Plaisir," 
built  by  Peter  the  Great  on  the  edge  of  the  sea, 
where  the  Empress  Catherine  II  and  her  two 
little  grandsons  (afterwards  Alexander  I  and 
Nicolas  I)  spent  so  many  happy  days.  We  sat 
on  the  terrace  in  front  and  saw  the  sun  set — 
the  sky  a  blaze  of  scarlet,  crimson,  and  yellow, 


1915 


like  a  Turner  ;  and  the  Kronstadt  dome  silhouetted 
against  this  furious  scheme  of  colour.  The  moon 
rose  behind  distant  Petrograd.  A  night  of 
nights  ! 

PETERHOF.     Riga    evacuated — the    Germans    in  Sunday, 
Warsaw !     Returned  last  night  to   Peterhof,  and  Aug<  S'    Dm 
this  morning  was  shown  over  the  palace  by  the 
intendant.     Met  friends  later  and  went  over  the 
palace  a  second  time.     In  the  evening  visited  all 
the    fountains    separately.     Dined    at    10.30    and 
motored  back  to  Petrograd.     A  white  and  silver 
night. 


H  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  Arrived  at  Moscow.     In  the  afternoon  motored 

to  Kamenskoe,  the  Tsar's  falconry — delightful  and 
original— where  Peter  the  Great  retired  after  the 
massacre  of  the  Streltzi.*  At  the  back  of  the 
massive  building  is  a  stone  throne  on  a  wide 
balcony  dominating  the  plain  and  river  below, 
where  the  Tsars  sat  to  wratch  the  falcons  at 
work.  It  has  not  been  used  since  the  Tsars 
became  Emperors,  1695,  but  is  being  carefully 
restored. 

From  there  we  went  to  visit  Catherine  IPs 
Gothic  palace,  begun  1775,  but  never  finished. 
Was  much  struck  by  a  tall  birch-tree  growing  out 
of  the  masonry  at  the  top  of  the  roofless  wall. 
Then  on  to  tea  at  Sparrow  Hill,  and  looked  down 
on  the  view  of  Moscow  Napoleon  saw  in  1812. 
After  dinner  drove  round  the  town. 

Friday,  Moscow.     Visited  the  Kremlin  churches  yester- 

ug-  J3-  •  daV)  and  to-day  the  Treasury  and  Museum.  In 
the  afternoon  to  Archangelskoe,  25  versts  from 
Moscow,  the  country  house  of  the  Yusupovs, 
which  Felix  Yusupov  had  shown  me  in  1909.! 
The  place  is  all  ready  for  them  now  and  is  beauti- 
>  fully  kept,  with  some  fine  things,  including  four 

examples  of  Hubert  Robert ;  the  terraced  garden 
full  of  statues  and  ablaze  with  flowers.  They  are 
building  a  church — the  Kasan  Church  in  small — 
where  the  eldest  son  (killed  in  a  duel)  is  to  be  buried. 
My  hosts,  the  Olives,  were  leaving  for  Charkov ; 

*  Peter,  recalled  from  England  by  a  conspiracy  of  the 
Streltzi,  caused  2000  to  be  tortured  and  slain,  beheading 
many  with  his  own  hand. 

f  Prince  Felix  Felixovich,  Count  Sumarokov-Elston. 


MOSCOW  15 

drove  to  the  station  to  see  them  off.     Am  enjoying        1915 
myself  immensely. 

Moscow.  I  am  writing  to  you  from  the  Olives'  Saturday, 
house,  and  when  I  lift  my  eyes  I  look  on  the  Aug<  I4*  L' 
Kremlin  from  where  I  sit.  All  the  bells  are  ringing. 
My  friend  Madame  Olive  was  the  daughter  of  the 
principal  Christian  sugar-refiner  in  Russia,  who  died 
lately.  She  dresses  beautifully,  has  a  wonderful 
taste  in  objets  d'art,  and  is  most  intelligent.  Her 
husband  is  A.D.C.  to  Prince  Yusupov,  Governor  of 
Moscow,  and  father  of  Felix.  Her  sister  is  Princess 
Michael  Gorchakov.  I  came  with  them  on  Wednes- 
day night,  and  go  back  to-morrow.  The  house  is 
most  comfortable,  and  my  bath  is  as  big  as  the 
Caspian  Sea.  I  am  waited  on  by  a  Cossack,  who 
makes  me  repeat  my  Russian  words  until  I  say 
them  right. 

All  Moscow  is  making  munitions.  There  is  a 
large  palace  with  a  beautiful  garden,  built  by 
Catherine  II  for  Gregoire  Orlov,  which  belongs  to 
the  Emperor  and  which  he  will  come  to  live  in 
if  the  Tsarskoe  has  to  be  abandoned.  The  Bond 
Street  of  Moscow  was  nearly  burnt  down  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war.  Many  shops  in  it  are  still 
boarded  up.  Every  German-named  shop  was 
gutted.  Whilst  the  wine-shops  were  being  looted 
the  police  came  along  and  had  them  closed  and 
sealed  up,  leaving  in  many  cases  a  large  number 
of  the  rioters  dead  drunk  inside,  who  at  the  end  of 
the  war  will  be  found  like  brandy-cherries  ! 

News  from   Poland  very  bad.     Returning  last  Thursday, 
night  from  dining  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir     ug*  I9'  D' 


i6 


RUSSIAN  DIARY 


1915 


Friday, 
Aug.  20.   L. 


Aug.  22.   L. 
to  Lady 
Sarah  Wil- 
son, Allied 
Forces 
Hospital, 
Boulogne. 


met  Countess  Betsy  Schuvalov*  in  the  train.  Dined 
to-day  at  the  Embassy  to  meet  the  former  French 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  M.  Crupi,  and  his  wife, 
and  General  Hanbury  Williams,  head  of  the 
English  Military  Mission  at  G.H.Q.  He  is  not 
very  cheerful  about  the  Western  Front. 

PETROGRAD.  Things  at  the  Front  are  going  from 
worse  to  worst.  What  is  to  keep  the  enemy  away 
from  here  ?  Really  the  West  might  help  us  ! 
God  only  knows  if  you  will  ever  get  this,  as  the 
Germans  stop  nearly  every  home-bound  steamer. 

The  Embassies  will  go  to  Nijni  Novgorod,  not 
Moscow.  I  shall  go  to  Moscow,  as  I  can  stay  with 
my  friends  the  Olives  ;  but  the  danger  is  that  the 
German  Fleet  may  come  here.  No  one  has  ever 
known  why  it  didn't  come  at  the  beginning  of  the 
it  was  the  great  German  mistake.  How 


war 


lucky  for  you  England  is  an  island  !  I  don't  think 
the  English  are  half  grateful  enough  for  it. 

We  have  been  going  through  here  exactly  the 
same  emotions  as  you  and  I  went  through  together 
last  year  in  Paris  and  Boulogne.  I  never  thought 
such  an  experience  could  happen  twice  in  one's  life. 
We  all  expect  the  Germans  here  sooner  or  later. 
Till  Riga  falls  no  one  will  know  whether  their 
objectif  is  Petrograd  or  Moscow ;  if  Petrograd, 
their  Fleet  could  co-operate  with  them.  The  major 
part  of  the  artillery  and  munition  factories  are  here. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  calculated  that  it  would 
take  them  six  weeks  to  get  here,  and  the  winter 

*  Nee  Princess  Bariatinski,  m.  Count  Paul  Petrovich 
Schuvalov. 


THE  HERMITAGE  PICTURES  17 

usually  begins  in  about  six  weeks'  time.     The  snow        1915 
that  made  Napoleon  pack  up  next  morning  fell  on 
October  12.     Pray  God  it  may  be  an  early  winter  ! 

If  they  do  come  here,  will  there  be  a  revolution  ? 
The  fear  is  the  people  might  rise  and  make  peace 
to  stop  the  German  advance,  feeling  that  the 
Romanovs  have  had  their  chance  and  been  found 
wanting. 

The  Emperor  has  forbidden  the  Hermitage 
pictures — which  are  his  personal  property — to  be 
sent  away,  for  fear  it  should  cause  a  panic.  They 
wanted  to  put  a  hospital  in  the  Hermitage.  That 
would  have  given  a  pretext  for  packing  up,  but  it 
could  not  be  arranged,  as  there  is  no  water-supply. 
So  the  Emperor  has  given  the  Winter  Palace 
instead.  It  can  hold  1200  beds.  The  archives 
are  being  packed.  The  Crown  jewels,  the  small 
objets  d'art,  and  all  the  valuable  Imperial  plate 
from  here  and  Warsaw  have  gone  to  Moscow  to 
the  Kremlin. 

The  Ambassador  is  adored  here  and  most  highly 
thought  of.  I  don't  know  what  would  have 
happened  if  there  had  been  a  fool  or  malingerer 
in  his  place.  He,  Sazonov,  and  the  Emperor 
work  as  one  man.  I_see_all  the  interesting  people 
and  constantly  dine  at  Tsarskoe  with  our  dear 
Grand  Duchess  :  I  telephone  and  propose  myself. 
She  spoke  of  you  the  other  day  most  kindly  and 
sympathetically.  I  told  her  all  the  news  I  had  of 
you.  I  notice  they  live  entirely  on  the  small 
successes  and  repulses,  and  have  never  yet  faced 
the  greater  question. 

B 


1 8  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  There  are  but  few  people  in  Petrograd,  and  life 

is  much  the  same  as  in  London — small  coteries  of 
intimate  friends. 

The  Grand  Duke  Boris  has  been  back  from  the 
Front  for  a  few  days  :  his  Hussar  regiment  is  rest- 
ing. He  gave  me  heart-rending  accounts  of  the 
retreat ;  of  the  Russians  burning  their  own  villages  ; 
of  the  ripe,  unreaped  corn  ablaze  ;  and  of  the 
despairing  sorrow  of  the  country  people — poor 
things  !  He  told  me  how  the  Russians  send  aero- 
planes into  Germany  to  drop  incendiary  bombs  on 
the  standing  crops,  and  how  the  Germans  harness 
the  Russian  prisoners  to  their  ploughs  and  flog 
them  whether  they  pull  or  not. 

The  Stieglitz  Museum  *  is  being  stealthily  packed 
up  for  removal.  It  will  indeed  be  a  tragedy  if  the 
enemy  comes  here,  with  all  the  factories  and 
"  powderies  "  and  "  cannonries."  At  Riga  there 
is  sixty  million  pounds'  worth  of  timber,  and  more 
than  double  that  value  here. 

Monday,  During  dinner  at  Tsarskoe  much  excitement  over 

Aug.  23.  D.  rep0rtecl  fan  Of  Dardanelles,  contradicted  later  in  the 
evening  by  telephone  from  the  Emperor's  palace. 
On  my  arrival  at  Petrograd  great  crowd  outside 
the  Novoe  Vremya  office,  waiting  for  verification. 
Saturday,          From  what  I  can  gather,  it  is  likely  the  Grand 
Aug.  28.  L.  j)uke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich  may  be  relieved  of  the 
Command-in-Chief.     In  that  case,  would  the  Em- 
peror take  over  the  Supreme  Command  in  person  ? 
Then  Alexeiev,  in  whom  every  one  has  confidence, 
might  be  Chief-of-the-Staff ;    Nicolai  Nicolaievich 
*  Baron  Stieglitz's  School  of  Design. 


FOREBODINGS  IN  THE  CAPITAL       19 

would  perhaps  take  command  of  the  Southern  1915 
Army,  and  Russki  retain  the  Northern.  The 
entire  Staff — it  would  seem — are  to  be  either 
changed  or  hanged.  Poor  Emperor,  all  would  now 
fall  on  his  shoulders.  If  he  should  have  no  luck, 
God  only  knows  what  will  happen. 

The  Council  of  Ministers  says  the  Germans 
cannot  reach  Petrograd  this  winter,  but  might  be 
able  to  winter  at  Pskov.  What  an  admission  ! 

Any  news  that  comes  to  me  from  the  Embassy 
— and  they  are  most  kind — consists  only  of  the 
official  Russian  bulletins  which  appear  later  in  the 
Press  ;  so  I  have  taken  other  steps  to  keep  myself 
informed. 

If  one  is  more  cheerful  for  the  moment,  it  is  not 
because  things  are  better,  but  because  human 
nature  can  only  stand  a  certain  amount,  and  then 
revolts.  It's  terrible,  the  bungling  inefficiency  of 
the  Staff.  The  soldiers  are  beyond  all  praise. 

Things  are  not  at  all  quiet  here.  Munition- 
workers  on  strike  and  even  some  passers-by  shot. 
My  poor  little  cabman  was  shot  by  mistake  as  he 
was  going  down  the  street.  Forty-two  killed,  and 
five  minutes  after  everybody  at  work  ! 

On    Saturday    I    motored    with    Polovtsov    to  Aug.  30.  L. 
Gatchina  to  lunch  with  Madame  Derfelden  (Serge  Marchioness 
Zubov's  former  wife),  who  has  an  aunt  living  in  the  of  Ripon. 
palace.     We  went  to  see  her  and  found  her  drinking 
tea  with  raspberry  jam  in  it.     She  is  the  Countess 
Heyden  and  a  former  visitor  of  yours  at  Studley. 
We  went  all  over  the  palace  and  saw  the  Emperor 
Paul's  rooms,  which  are  entered  by  a  secret  staircase 


20  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  and  are  left  exactly  as  when  he  lived  there,  with  his 
boots  all  ready  to  put  on.  There  are  wonderful 
works  of  art  in  Gatchina. 

Afterwards  we  motored  to  near  Pavlovsk  to  see 
an  old  house.  "  Pol  "  motored  Madame  Derfelden 
back  to  Gatchina,  and  I  took  the  train  to  Tsarskoe 
for  Petrograd.  Travelled  up  with  Wolkonsky, 
former  Secretary  of  Legation  in  London. 

You  positively  must  come  in  the  summer  to  see 
Peterhof  before  you  die.  To  me  it  is  the  most 
entrancing  place  in  the  world  :  I  have  never  seen 
anything  like  it.  It  has  in  its  way  as  much  charm 
as  Venice — it  is  fairyland  with  a  soul — it  is  divine. 
Yet  already  the  birch-trees  have  yellow  leaves, 
though  there  has  been  no  rain  and  the  weather  is 
heavenly. 

The  summer  here  is  like  a  lovely  woman,  pale- 
faced,  with  scarlet  lips  and  wild,  appealing,  black 
eyes.  Each  year  she  is  born  perfect — you  feel  that 
so  divine  a  creature  must  live  for  ever ;  and  then, 
before  you  can  possess  yourself  of  her — or  even 
before  you  have  realized  her  beauty,  her  intenseness, 
her  vivid  colouring — she  is  dead  in  your  arms  ! 
It  is  all  too  quick. 

Sept.  i.  L.  I  was  at  the  British  Colony  Hospital  yesterday  ; 
out  of  the  eighty-two  wounded  there  over  forty  are 
on  crutches,  shot  in  the  legs  during  the  retreat.  A 
Cossack  was  playing  his  guitar  in  the  garden,  and 
there  were  nine  legs  listening,  with  eighteen  brains  ! 
To  my  favourites  I  take  presents,  and  from  time  to 
time  give  them  all  cigarettes — so  that  there  may  be 
no  jealousy — or  else  2O-kopek  icons  of  St.  George. 


KARSAVINA  21 

I  have  been  much  worried  with  my  ear,  whicn        1915 
has  depressed  me.     I  decided  to  go  to  a  doctor,     ep  '  3< 
and  Karsavina*  most  kindly  accompanied  me  as 
interpreter.     We  had  to  wait  an  hour,  and  then, 
while  she  held  my  hand,  the  doctor  shoved  things 
through   my   nose !     However,   he   was   most   re- 
assuring, and  I  already  feel  better.     It  was  good 
of  her,  and  I  am  much  touched. 

Such  things  have  happened  !  OnJFriday  I. was  Sunday, 
invited  to  be  at  the  Vladimir  Palace  at  six,  to  motor  Sept>  5*  L' 
down  to  Tsarskoe  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir. 
Exactly  at  six  I  was  there  dressed.  I  found  M. 
Faberge,  the  famous  Court  jeweller,  who  had  been 
waiting  since  half-past  five.  She — who  is  never 
unpunctual — only  came  in  at  a  quarter  to  seven, 
full  of  apologies  and  looking  very  worried,  and  told 
me  she  had  been  sitting  with  the  Empress-Mother. 
During  the  hour's  drive  she  spoke  not  a  word. 
We  sat  down  to  dinner  thirty-five  minutes  late 
— no  Romanov  has  ever  been  known  to  be  late  for 
dinner. 

I  was  eating  my  lukewarm  potage  St.-Germain, 
when  she  said  to  me,  "  The  Emperor  and  Empress 
have  been  to-day  to  the  fortress  to  pray  at  his 
father's  tomb."  I  had  met  them  this  afternoon  in 
the  Nevski.  Then  she  added,  "  The  Emperor 
leaves  to-morrow  night  to  take  over  the  Supreme 
Command  at  the  Front.  Nicolai  Nicolaievich  goes 
to  the  Caucasus.  Alexeiev  is  Chief  of  the  Staff. 
Russki  has  the  Northern  Command.  The  Empress 

*  Tamara  Platonovna  Karsavina,  premise  danseuse  in  the 
ballet. 


22  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  Marie  is  desesperee.  It  is  quite  disastrous."  We 
both  cried  into  our  soup — mine,  at  least,  was 
warmed  up  by  my  tears.  Everybody  during  dinner 
was  much  depressed  by  this  news. 

When  I  got  back  I  immediately  sent  all  this 
information  to  the  Ambassador,  thinking  he  might 
not  have  heard  of  the  change  of  Command,  and 
as  a  matter  of  fact  he  hadn't.  I  think  for  a  newly 
arrived  foreigner  I  may  feel  proud — supplying 
my  Embassy  with  such  news  !  The  Ambassador 
thanked  me  very  much. 

Yesterday  was  glorious.  I  went  to  the  Admiralty 
and  walked  back  by  the  Winter  Palace.  At  that 
moment  the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  and  the  dear 
little  boy  motored  out  of  the  palace,  where  there 
had  been  a  Council  of  State,  and  the  little  boy  was 
presented  to  them  all  en  bloc.  Neither  the  tram 
service  nor  other  street  traffic  is  ever  stopped  for 
the  Emperor.  He  takes  his  chance  like  all  of  us  !  * 

I  was  lunching  on  the  roof  of  the  hotel  with 
Karsavina,  when  in  walked  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri 
Pavlovich !  Forty-eight  hours'  leave  and  found 
time  to  come  and  see  me  !  We  spent  the  whole 
afternoon  together.  First  I  went  all  over  his 
palace.  He  has  arranged  his  own  rooms  on  the 
ground  floor,  and  most  originally — each  room  in  a 
different  wood.  The  dining-room  is  amaranth. 
Then  we  had  tea  ;  we  talked  about  you  and  other 
friends,  then  we  cried,  then  we  went  shopping  in  a 
60  h.p.  Renaud  ;  then  we  pursued  any  pretty  ladies 
driving,  then  in  the  most  divine  weather  we  tore 

*  This  is  in  contrast  with  Kerenski's  habit ;  see  Aug.  25, 1917 


IQI5 


PALACE  OF  THE  GRAND  DUKE  DMITRI  23 

up  and  down  the  quays  and  over  the  bridges  ; 
then  he  deposited  me  at  the  hotel  at  6.30.  This 
morning  he  fetches  me  at  10.30  to  motor  to  Tsarskoe, 
and  this  eyening  he  goes  back  to  the  Front. 

To  Tsarskoe  with  Grand  Duke  Dmitri.     Visited  Sunday, 
the    Emperor's    church.     Back    to    Petrograd    in  Sept  5'    Dm 


afternoon  «and  left  note  at  Embassy  to  ask  Lady 
Georgina  if  he  might  dine  there  ;  she  telephoned 
later  inviting  him.  He  fetched  me  in  his  motor 
and  drove  me  to  the  Embassy.  Left  at  10  for 
his  palace,  and  saw  him  off  by  train  at  1 1  p.m. 

In  the  morning  to  Tsarskoe  to  the  Grand  Duchess  Monday, 
yia^irmr.^  At  the  door  met  Princess  Orlov,  who  Septl  6'    D' 
had  just  been  received  by  the  Grand  Duchess  to 


24  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  tell  her  the  startling  news  of  the  Emperor's  dismissal 
of  her  husband  "  Vladdy  " — the  truest  and  most 
devoted  of  all  the  Emperor's  friends.  A  sinister 
influence,  long  felt,  now  begins  to  show  itself. 

Motored  with  the  Grand  Duchess  to  Oranienbaum, 
where  I  visited  all  the  palaces  and  the  Montague  ; 
Russe  (a  snow  switchback)  used  by  the  Empress  | 
Elizabeth.     At  4  to  tea  with  the  Princess  of  Sa:?fe-   I 
Altenburg,  who  showed  me  over  the  "  Chinese  " 
Palace,   where   she   lives.     Everything   Chinese   of 
that  epoch — 1750.     To  Petrograd  by  train. 
Tuesday,  In  afternoon  with  Lady  Georgina  to  King  George 

Sept.  7.  D.  tke  fifth  Hospital,  in  the  Nevski,  where  she  gives 
to  every  outgoing  soldier  articles  of  clothing  for 
himself,  wife,  and  children.  Afterwards  to  Embassy 
to  pick  up  Ambassador,  and  so  on  to  the  English; 
Colony  Hospital,  for  the  same  kindly  purpose.  |  j 
Wednesday,  Luncheon  at  the  Orlovs' ;  long  conversation  with* 
Sept.  15.  D.  «  viaddy,"  who  gave  me  a  letter  for  the  Minister 
of  the  Marine.  Afterwards  to  Countess  Carlov, 
widow  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklenburg-Strelitz  ; 
she  kindly  telephoned  to  the  Minister  of  War,  who 
was  at  a  Cabinet  Council,  to  make  an  appointment 
for  me. 

Saturday,  Yesterday  the  Secretary  of  Minister  of  War 
Sept.  1 8.  D.  telephoned  me  to  see  General  Lukomski,  the 
Minister  having  gone  to  the  Front.  This  morning 
to  Admiralty ;  then  to  General  Lukomski  at  the 
War  Office.  At  6  to  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir 
and  with  her  to  Tsarskoe  to  dine. 

Monday,  To  Warsaw  Station  for  the  blessing,  by  Orthodox 

Sept.  20.  D.  ciergV)   Of    tne   soup-kitchen    for    Polish   refugees. 


INTERVIEW  WITH  SAZONOV          25 

The  Ambassador  and  Lady  Georgina  with  several  1915 
of  the  Embassy  Staff  were  there.  This  kitchen 
has  been  opened  with  money  collected  in  England, 
and  has  been  entirely  run  by  the  ladies  of  the 
English  Colony,  who  work  there  in  relays  every 
day. 

After  dinner  at  the  Embassy  last  night  had  a  Thursday, 
long  talk  with  Sazonov,*  who  promised  to  telephone  Sept*  23'  Df 
to  the  War  Office  in  the  morning.  At  noon  he 
telephoned  me  that  the  Minister  of  War  would  see 
me  at  2.  I  went  to  his  official  residence  on  the 
Moika  Canal,  some  little  distance  from  the  War 
Office.  His  aide-de-camp  talks  perfect  English. 
Met  in  the  antechamber  Stanley  Washburn,  the 
American  correspondent,  who  entertained  me  while 
we  were  waiting  with  amusing  stories  from  the 
Front.  I  explained  my  business  to  the  Minister, 
who  took  me  by  the  arm  and  walked  me  up  and 
down  the  room  while  we  talked  for  twenty-two 
minutes.  Met  Sazonov  again  at  dinner,  and  was 
able  to  thank  him  for  his  great  kindness. 

Yesterday  General  Lukomski  telephoned  for  me  Saturday, 
to  come  and  see  him,  which  I  did.     With  Ambassa-  Sept*  25'  D' 
dor  and  Lady  Georgina  motored  to  dine  at  Tsarskoe, 
where  I  am  staying.     As  I  felt  seedy  last  night 
the  Grand  Duchess  sent  me  to  bed.     Came  down 
for  luncheon  all  right.     At  dinner  we  are  always 
about  twenty,  with  guests  and  her  Court. 

TSARSKOE.     In  morning  to  Feodorovski  Church.  Sunday, 
Afternoon  drove  through   Pavlovsk   Park.      At   5  Sept' 26'  Dm 
tea  with  Grand  Duchess.     At  6.30  to  the  Church 
*   Serge  Sazonov,  Foreign  Minister,  b.  1881. 


26 


RUSSIAN  DIARY 


1915 


Monday, 
Sept.  27.  D. 


Saturday, 
Oct.  2.     D. 


Sunday, 
Oct.  3.     D. 


for  Vespers  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross,  the  most 
impressive  ceremony  I  have  ever  seen.  Afterwards 
the  Empress,  the  little  boy,  and  the  Grand  Duchesses 
kissed  the  Cross.  Few  people  in  church — only 
Cossacks. 

TSARSKOE.  Walked  round  the  lake  to  see  the 
bridge,  of  which  there  is  a  copy  in  Lord  Pembroke's 
park  at  Wilton.  At  tea  with  Grand  Duchess 
Vladimir ;  Countess  Helene  Potocki  and  Princess 
Orlov  came  in.  Count  and  Countess  Paul  Bencken- 
dorff  dined.  He  is  Marechal  of  the  Imperial  Court 
and  brother  of  the  Russian  Ambassador  at  the  Court 
of  St.  James's.  At  night  to  Petrograd  by  train. 

At  Warsaw  Station  joined  Lady  Georgina  in  the 
"  bath  train,"  which  she  had  so  cleverly  managed 
to  secure  from  the  station-master.  These  trains  go 
down  to  the  Front  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers  who 
are  resting.  Each  train  consists  of  a  number  of 
carriages  fitted  with  vapour  baths  and  drying- 
rooms. 

I  washed  six  refugee  children  yesterday — very 
dirty— two  howled.  The  washing  of  the  children 
is  in  connection  with  the  maternity  home  for 
Polish  refugees  organised  by  the  English  colony, 
with  Her  Excellency  as  President,  under  whose 
good  guidance  they  have  risen  wonderfully  to  the 
occasion. 

Luncheon  at  the  Orlovs'  ;  dinner  at  the  French 
Embassy. 

To  Tsarskoe  and  straight  to  Mita  BenckendorfFs 
apartments,  where  I  found  Prince  Michael  Putiatin. 
He  had  brought  me  a  ticket  for  the  Emperor's 


THE  EMPRESS'S  HOSPITAL  27 

Feodorovski  Church  that  makes  me  a  parishioner,  1915 
and  entitles  me  to  attend  services  there.  He  also 
brought  me  a  splendidly  printed  and  illustrated 
book  descriptive  of  the  church,  and  a  set  of  new 
photographs  of  the  Imperial  family.  To  church 
with  him  ;  the  Emperor  was  there.  In  the  middle 
of  the  service  the  Tzesarevich  came  running  in. 
After  the  Emperor  and  Empress  had  kissed  the 
Cross,  the  dear  little  boy  did  the  same,  and  took 
up  his  usual  place  near  the  Emperor's  chair  to 
watch  the  Cossacks  kiss  the  Cross.  While  they 
were  doing  so  he  winked  at  his  friends  among  the 
soldiers.  He  was  greatly  surprised  at  my  turning 
up  in  the  middle  of  them. 

After  the  service  1^  left  Prince  Putiatin  at  his 
house,  and  went  on  to  luncheon  with  the  Grand 
Duchess  Vladimir,  and  sat  next  Grand  Duke  Boris, 
who,  as  always,  was  charming.  After  luncheon 
danced  with  the  little  Kyrill  Princesses,  and 
at  2  with  Mita  to  visit  the  Empress's  Officers' 
Hospital. 

Personally  I  know  nothing  against  the  Empress, 
but  there  is  a  lot  of  injurious  political  intrigue 
going  on  around  her.  In  her  hospital  I  went  to 
see  an  officer  of  eighteen,  nephew  of  Kokovtsov, 
former  Minister  of  Finance,  who,  though  badly 
wounded,  is  delightfully  gay  and  full  of  con- 
versation. He  sketches  cleverly  and  draws  carica- 
tures of  the  nurses  and  staff — all  as  birds.  I 
advised  him  to  draw  the  Empress  as  one  of  the 
eight-winged  seraphim  !  His  case  is  one  of  those 
she  attends  herself,  and  both  she  and  the  two 


28  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915        elder  Grand  Duchesses  were  very  busily  at  work 
while  I  was  there. 

At  the  hospital  Colonel  Schahovskoi,  who  had 
been  told  off  to  take  me  round,  said  a  train  of 
wounded  had  just  arrived  ;  we  hurried  off  to  the 
Pavilion  Station — the  Emperor's  private  station — 
and  went  all  through  the  train,  and  so  back  to  the 
hospital.  Amongst  the  officers  was  one  who  had 
four  St.  George's  Crosses  and  had  been  promoted 
from  the  ranks.  Then  to  the  hospital  crypt  church, 
which  is  arranged  in  the  style  of  Byzantine  churches 
*  before  the  sixth  century. 

Next  we  visited  the  Town  Hospital  for  Soldiers, 
where  I  gave  away  3000  cigarettes.  At  each  ward 
Colonel  Schahovskoi  called  out,  "  Your  English 
brother  brings  you  these ! "  The  soldiers  all 
shouted  together,  "  Most  humbly  we  thank  him," 
at  the  top  of  their  voices.  To  one  poor  man  looking 
very  ill  I  gave  a  packet.  With  beautiful  manners  he 
said,  "  Thank  you,"  and  then  turned  over  and  died  ! 
At  about  4  we  motored  to  Princess  Putiatin's 
Hospital  for  Officers,  where  the  Empress  was  to 
give  certificates  to  the  nurses  in  the  chapel.  I  went 
into  the  gallery.  The  Empress  came  with  her  two 
eldest  daughters,  all  three  in  nurses'  costume. 
She  was  amiable  and  smiling.  After  going  over 
the  hospital  I  got  back  to  the  Grand  Duchess's  for 
tea  at  5  o'clock — more  dead  than  alive  !  I  spent 
an  hour  with  her,  while  she  read  me  a  most  in- 
teresting letter  just  received  from  the  Duchess  of 
Coburg.  Took  the  10  o'clock  train  to  Petrograd 
and  so  to  bed  by  midnight. 


THE  EMPRESS  AND  HER  TWO  ELDER  DAUGHTERS, 
OLGA  AND  TATIANA,  AS  RED  CROSS  NURSES 


CHURCH  AT  TSARSKOE  SELO         29 

Yesterday   to   Warsaw    Station    to   wash   more  ^     1915 
refugee  children.     In  the  afternoon  fetched  caviare  Qct"^.*3!). 
for  Lord  Kitchener  and  took  it  to  the  Embassy 
to  be  forwarded.     After  luncheon  at  the  Embassy 
to-day  went  with  H.E.  and  Lady    Georgina    to 
inspect  Strogonov  Palace,  which  has  been  suggested 
for  the  Anglo-Russian  Hospital.     Polovtsov  took 
me  over  Smolny  Institute. 

Again  to  Warsaw  Station  to  wash  children.  At  Saturday, 
hotel  door  a  child  Cossack  wanted  to  come  with 
me,  so  took  him.  We  were  photographed  by  the 
English  fadre.  Left  for  Tsarskoe,  arriving  in 
time  for  tea  with  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir.  Grand 
Dukes  Kyrill  and  Boris  dined. 

TSARSKOE  SELO.  To  the  Emperor's  church,  Sunday, 
where  he  and  all  his  family  were  at  the  service.  Oct<  I0*  D' 
The  eldest  daughter  always  sits  next  to  him. 
The  little  boy  was  a  sailor  to-day ;  he  only  wears 
Cossack  uniform  when  papa  is  at  the  Front.  I  was 
brought  a  holy  loaf — like  those  given  to  them. 
After  the  service  the  Cossacks  formed  up  outside 
the  church  and  shouted  when  they  left.  Then  to 
the  Empress's  Hospital  to  see  my  officer  friend. 
Joseph  Potocki  came  to  tea  ;  the  Grand  Dukes 
Kyrill  and  Andre  dined. 

Left   Tsarskoe   for    Petrograd.     Luncheon   with  Monday, 
General  Hanbury- Williams,  who  dined  with  me  at 
my  hotel. 

To  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  see  the  wounded  officers  in  Sunday, 
the  Empress's  Hospital.     Tea  with  Grand  Duchess  Oct* I7'  D' 
Vladimir  just  back  from  the  Front.     She  told  me 
she  had  received  General  d'Amade,  who  fears  the 


30  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  Germans  may  occupy  Constantinople  before  we 
can ;  once  there,  they  could  only  be  got  rid  of 
with  great  difficulty.  She  also  told  me  she  found 
the  Emperor — who  had  been  to  see  her — quite  a 
changed  man,  and  with  quite  a  different  face. 
He  now,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  knows  every- 
thing, and  hears  the  truth  direct.  Nicolai  Nicolaie- 
vich  never  wanted  to  know  anything,  and  of  what 
he  did  know  he  only  told  the  Emperor  so  little 
that  it  was  hardly  worth  his  hearing.  All  her  three 
sons  dined.  Back  in  Petrograd  in  time  for  ballet 
at  10.45. 

Tuesday,  Yesterday  luncheon  at  Sazonov's.     This  morning 

Oct.  19.   D.  to  tke  new  ]y[OSque  .    packed  with  soldiers  for  the 

Kourban   Festival.     The   Mosque  is   opposite   the 

Embassy — on  the  other  side  of  the  Neva,  close  to 

the    Peter-Paul   Fortress.     Its   blue   domes   are   a 

marked  feature  in  any  view  of  Petrograd. 

Thursday,         Am  seeing  a  great  deal  of  Olga  Orlov.     Really 

Oct.  21.    L   .ker  jlouse  js  as  njce  as  yours,  and  the  moment 

I  cross  the  threshold  I  feel  less  sad.  I  dine  there 
to-night  and  am  sure  to  pass  a  pleasant  evening. 
We  are  again  thrown  into  suspense  by  the  tremen- 
dous attack  of  the  Germans  on  the  Riga  Front ; 
not  that  it  threatens  us  as  yet  in  Petrograd,  but 
it  means  an  appalling  loss  of  life,  and  very  likely 
our  further  retreat  and  the  occupation  of  the  Riga 
Bay. 

Rumour  says  that  Sazonov  may  leave  the  Foreign 
Office.  I  don't  believe  it  and  sincerely  hope  he 
will  not. 

The  Empress  goes  on  October  24  to  fetch  the 


M.  STOLYPIN'S  DAUGHTERS  31 

dear  little  boy  from  Stavka  (G.H.Q.).  God  forbid  1915 
she  should  take  over  command  of  the  Army  and 
send  the  Emperor  home  !  He  comes  back  on  the 
30th.  The  Grand  Duke  Paul  left  with  him  for  the 
first  time  in  uniform  since  his  morganatic  marriage. 
He  has  been  reinstated  in  his  former  position  in  the 
Army,  and  hopes  to  stay  altogether  at  the  Front ; 
but  I  hear  now  he  may  return  for  good  with  the 
Emperor.  There  is  a  story  about  one  of  the 
Alexander  Michailovich  boys  running  off  to  the  war. 
I  don't  know  if  it's  true. 

You  know  the  two  Stolypin  girls  ;  they  were 
nursing  in  a  lazaret  and  ran  away  to  the  war  to 
fight — wooden  foot  *  and  all — dressed  as  boys  with 
their  hair  cut  off.  It  took  weeks  to  find  them, 
but  they  have  been  brought  home.  A  little  snow 
yesterday. 

The  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  leaves  to-night  for 
ten  days  in  her  ambulance  train  for  Minsk  to  visit 
her  flying  hospitals  and  food  depots.  She  has  ten 
concerns  in  all  along  the  Fronts.  Next  Sunday 
I  shall  stay  in  Petrograd  and  go  to  the  ballet, 
Don  Quicbotte.  Last  Sunday  I  returned  by  10.30 
from  Tsarskoe,  and  went  for  the  last  hour  to  The 
Sleeping  Beauty,  with  the  "  Blue  Bird  "  dance  we 
have  so  often  applauded  in  London. 

Both  Empresses  have  received  the  Anglo-Russian  Sunday, 
Hospital  Deputation,  and  yesterday  they  went  to     ct*  24'    L 
the  inauguration  of  the  Winter  Palace  Hospital. 
The  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Pavlovich  has  given  his 

*  On  the  occasion  when  Stolypin,  the  Premier,  had  his  house 
blown  up,  one  of  his  daughters  lost  her  leg. 


32  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  palace  for  the  Anglo-Russian  Hospital.  It  is 
admirably  suited  for  the  purpose,  and  its  position 
in  the  centre  of  the  Nevski,  a  corner  house  opposite 
the  Empress  Marie's  palace,  is  such  that  the  man 
in  the  street  must  see  it  and  know  where  it  is,  and 
who  gave  it.  It  will  be  ready  for  the  nurses  in 
six  weeks. 

Tuesday,  Beautiful  day  on  Sunday,  so  went  to  Tsarskoe 

and  found  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  had  returned. 
Luncheon  with  her  after  service  at  the  Emperor's 
church.  Grand  Duke  Boris  drove  me  to  the 
station  to-day.  Back  to  Tsarskoe  to  dine  with 
Grand  Duchess,  returning  near  midnight  with 
Dmitri  Pavlovich. 

Serge  Obolenski*  came  to  see  me  on  Sunday  night. 
He  looks  well,  a  little  older  and  serious.  He  is  an 
officer  now,  and  is  splendid  in  his  uniform.  I  told 
him  all  I  knew  about  you  and  the  children.  The 
war  has  changed  him,  as  it  has  all  of  us.  He  leaves 
to-night  for  the  Front.  He  asked  after  nobody  in 
England  but  you  and  your  mother  [Lady  Ripon], 
The  Emperor  came  back  yesterday ;  we  are  all 
very  intrigues  and  worried  to  know  if  Sazonov  is 
going  to  be  sent  away.  I  hope  to  God  not,  as  it 
would  not  be  good  either  for  Russia,  England, 
or  me. 

I  couldn',t  go  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir 
in  her  ambulance  train  to  Dvinsk.  She  kindly 
asked  me,  but  I  should  have  had  to  be  away  five 
nights,  and  I  have  my  affairs  to  look  after.  On 
her  return  she  settles  in  Petrograd  ;  so  there  will 
*  Prince  Serge  Alexandrovich  Obolenski. 


VISIT  TO  DVINSK  33 

be  no  more  Tsarskoe  :    I  have  enjoyed  it  so  much        1915 
there  and  I  shall  miss  going,  but  it's  a  cold  journey 
now.     I  shall  run  down  to  my  church  on  Sunday, 
as  the  Emperor  will  be  there,  and  the  Cossacks  yell 
when  he  comes  out.     I  like  that. 

Yesterday  Lydia  Kyasht  came  to  luncheon  with  Sunday, 
me  at  my  hotel.     To  War  Office  to  see  General  Nov'  7'    D' 
Lukomski.     To-day   to   Tsarskoe   and   to   church, 
where    the    Emperor   was.      My  wounded   officer 
friend  was  there.     Luncheon  with  Grand  Duchess 
Vladimir.     Travelled  back  with  Dmitri  Pavlovich 
to  Petrograd. 

The  Grand  Duchess  telegraphed  me  to  meet  her  Monday, 
last  Monday  at  the  Warsaw  Station  on  her  return  Nov* I5'  L 
from  Dvinsk  at  8  a.m.  General  Hartung  took  me 
to  the  station,  and  I  saw  the  Grand  Duchess  and 
went  over  all  the  train,  saw  it  unpacked,  and  visited 
everything.  Then  she  said,  "  If  you  will  come 
back  at  12  with  your  bag,  I  will  take  you  with 
me  to  Dvinsk,  but  tell  nobody."  General  Hartung 
motored  me  back  to  my  hotel,  and,  having  made 
my  preparations,  I  returned  to  the  station  and  hid 
myself  in  the  train  till  it  left.  She  is  pestered  by 
people  wanting  to  go  with  her. 

It  was  the  most  divine  time  being  with  her. 
We  ate  with  the  Sisters,  the  priest,  and  the  doctor, 
but  had  tea  in  her  compartment.  We  talked  of 
everybody  and  everything  in  the  world.  She  is  a 
marvellous  woman,  and  always  at  her  best  where 
there  is  much  to  do — sparing  herself  no  trouble, 
quite  thorough,  a  woman  after  my  heart ! 

The  journey,  503  versts  (315  miles),  took  thirty 

c 


34  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  hours.  We  went  beyond  Dvinsk  to  the  present 
railhead — virtually  where  Russia  now  ends  !  We 
were  within  three  miles  of  the  trenches  and  saw 
and  heard  what  I  had  not  experienced  for  months 
— cannon  and  shrapnel  all  day  and  night,  but  no 
Zeppelins.  From  the  windows  of  the  train  where 
it  was  drawn  up  we  saw  silhouetted  against  the 
snow,  careering  down  a  long  straight  avenue,  a 
battery  of  artillery  galloping  up  to  the  Front — 
most  dramatic  effect ! 

It  was  a  weird  sight  as  we  went  out  of  the  station 
with  torches  to  meet  the  wounded,  who  were 
being  brought  in  by  peasants  in  carts  ;  there  were 
only  a  few  motor-ambulances  as  the  roads  are 
indescribably  bad  :  many  of  the  men  were  un- 
dressed, and  the  carts  were  dripping  with  blood. 
It  must  have  been  like  that  in  Napoleon's  time — 
the  same  place  and  time  of  year.  But  once  the 
poor  things  were  in  the  train  there  was  every 
comfort  and  luxury. 

Some  of  the  sanitaires  are  from  the  ballet. 
They  carried  the  torches,  so  you  can  imagine  we 
were  well  lit  and  led.  There  were  many  peritonitis 
cases  from  wounds — no  disease.  All  were  splen- 
didly fit,  well  fed,  clothed,  and  booted.  The 
arrangements  are  wonderful — perfect  organization, 
and  the  wounded  were  admirably  transferred  to 
the  train. 

Her  train  *  is  No.  I  out  of  300  ;    the  next  five 

*  The  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  instituted  her  ambulance 
train  during  the  war  with  Japan.  Being  the  first  of  its  kind, 
it  stands  first  on  the  list. 


ON  A  HOSPITAL  TRAIN  35 

belong  to  the  Empress  and  her  four  daughters.  1915 
Hers,  I  am  told,  is  the  best  organised  of  any. 
We  started  off  with  492  wounded,  but  several  died 
on  the  way ;  twelve  of  them  were  officers,  of  whom 
three  were  Mohammedans.  The  two  trains  were 
made  up  of  twenty-nine  carriages.  After  every  man 
had  been  put  in  his  cot,  she  went  and  visited  each 
one.  I  luckily  had  many  cigarettes,  and  made  a 
few  friends  whom  I  have  since  seen  in  hospitals. 

Mile.  Olive,  her  maid  of  honour,  never  went  to 
bed  all  night ;  she  was  with  those  who  died,  or 
who  suffered  most,  or  who  wanted  letters  written. 

Nearly  a  hundred  received  Communion  from  the 
train  priest.  Nobody  murmured  or  complained, 
all  most  grateful.  One  boy  who  came  in  un- 
conscious woke  up  and  thought  he  was  in  Heaven  ! 
Those  who  died  went  out  like  watches  run-down, 
without  effort — just  stopped  breathing.  It  was 
intensely  sad,  though  with  so  much  to  do  I  hadn't 
time  to  think  until  I  went  to  bed  ;  but  one  felt 
the  very  best  had  been  done  for  them — each  was 
a  hero. 

We  wrere  four  nights  away,  the  journey  thirty 
hours  each  way :  12°  Fahrenheit.  The  packing 
of  the  wounded  into  the  train  was  done  without 
hurry  or  fuss.  The  Russians  are  so  kind  ;  over 
all  there  was  a  feeling,  from  the  highest  to  the 
humblest,  of  intense  human  sympathy  for  the 
suffering. 

A  man  of  22,  shot  in  the  spine,  was  accompanied 
by  his  beautiful  young  wife,  dressed  as  a  man. 
Both  had  volunteered  in  the  Field  Telephone  Service. 


36  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  She  nurses  him,  and  the  Grand  Duchess  has 
arranged  that  she  is  to  live  in  his  hospital. 

When  we  got  to  Petrograd  they  were  unpacked 
by  volunteer  students,  who  meet  every  train. 
The  Grand  Duchess  waited  till  the  last  one  had 
left  for  his  hospital — no  hitch,  no  flurry,  all  done 
like  machinery.  She  was  dead  tired  (so  was  I), 
but  she  never  left  till  all  had  gone  (9  p.m.).  She 
looks  very  white — too  white. 

The  hospitals  are  crammed  in  Petrograd.  The 
fighting  near  Dvinsk  has  been  terrible,  but  we  are 
holding  our  own  all  the  time,  and  driving  the  enemy 
back  everywhere.  Alas,  no  rifles  for  the  new  troops 
to  support  these  advances  ! 

We  saw  enormous  guns  continually  arriving,  with 
a  special  railway  to  take  them  to  the  trenches. 
All  the  trains  were  laden  with  small  cannon  and 
munitions.  On  every  box  was  painted  "  No  econo- 
my "  ;  some  had  "  Moscow  will  send  you  all  you 


want.'1 


Really,  all  my  friends  have  been  good  to  me 
and  I  have  seen  in  the  war  what  few  civilians  have 
seen  ;  I  am  very  grateful.  I  shall  always  remember 
Colonel  Asser's  kindness  at  Boulogne-sur-Mer. 

The  Southern  Army  gave  the  Emperor  the 
St.  George's  Cross,  much  to  the  envy  of  the  other 
two  armies ;  his  letter  of  thanks  to  them  is 
beautifully  worded. 

The  little  boy,  for  being  under  fire,  has  got 
St.  George's  Medal,  which  last  Sunday  he  was 
fingering  all  the  time  through  Mass.  He  and  his 
father  got  lost  in  a  fog  in  the  south  and  couldn't 


THE  TZESAREVICH  AT  THE  FRONT  37  • 

find  their  automobile,  so  they  ate  with  the  soldiers,  1915 
which  the  little  boy  loved.  When  leaving  Stavka 
the  first  time,  he  said,  "  I  hate  going  back  to 
Tsarskoe  to  be  the  only  man  amongst  all  those 
women."  The  Emperor  has  carried  him  off  again 
to  the  Front.  He  got  into  the  train  an  hour 
before  its  time  to  start,  for  fear  of  being  kept  back 
at  the  last  moment,  and  was  found  sitting  in  his 
compartment  with  his  sailor,  his  balalaika,  and 
his  dog,  who  hates  the  firing. 

I  went  with  Prince  Michael  Gorchakov  to  a 
charity  ballet  for  the  Russian  prisoners  in  Germany. 
Sazonov  was  in  the  next  box,  and  during  an  entr'acte 
talked  to  me  about  his  leaving  office.  He  told  me 
that  he  had  his  successor  all  ready  to  take  his  place, 
and  that  he  wouldn't  be  missed.  He  has  been  in 
office  five  years  without  a  day's  rest.  He  wakes  up 
at  5  every  morning  ;  so  do  I.  I  can  feel  for  him, 
but  I  sleep  before  dinner  :  he  can't.  Gossip  says 
that,  when  he  asked  permission  to  resign,  the 
Emperor  replied,  "  I  would  willingly  let  you  go 
and  rest,  but  England  won't." 

Luncheon  at  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's  to  Wednesday, 
meet  all  the  doctors  and  Sisters  from  her  ambulance  Nov>  *7'  Dm 
train. 

I  went  yesterday  with  General  Knorring  to  see  Wednesday, 
a  most  interesting  work.     It  is  where  the  disabled  Nov* *7'  L' 
soldiers   pass   the   night   before   leaving   for   their 
homes,  receive  a  complete  outfit,  and  some  money 
from  the  State.      A  committee  of  ladies  gives  other 
money  from  a  fund  for  special  cases.     It  is  ad- 
mirably arranged — the  most  complete  order,  and 


38  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1915  done  with  the  heart  as  all  Russian  kindness  is, 
no  red  tape,  no  harsh  word.  There  had  always 
been  this  State  charity  existent,  but,  at  the  request 
of  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir,  the  Emperor 
allowed  her  to  take  it  over  and  develop  it  on  the 
larger  scale  now  required  ;  so  now  she  runs  it  with 
State  money,  her  own  money,  and  money  out  of 
her  own  organisation  fund.  Volunteer  students 
go  there  each  day,  so  there  are  no  expenses  at  all, 
and  each  student  has  his  appointed  hours  and  work. 
For  the  Siberians  there  are  sheepskin  coats  ;  there 
are  boots  of  every  sort  and  size  ;  socks,  caps, 
shirts,  fur  caps,  warm  coats,  thinner  coats,  crutches, 
sticks.  It  was  very  touching — so  many  blind,  lame, 
and  a  few  idiots.  Every  day  there  passes  through 
a  stream  of  men  up  to  the  five  hundred  who  can  be 
accommodated.  It  is  held  in  the  State  factory  where 
vodka  used  to  be  made,  now  closed.  Automobiles 
drive  them  to  their  different  stations,  or  else  they 
go  in  tramcars,  free.  One  has  to  come  to  Russia 
to  see  how  well  things  can  be  managed. 

Wednesday,       REVAL.     Luncheon  with  Sazonov  yesterday,  and 
ov.  24.  D.  -n  tjie  evenmg  came  here  to  visit  submarines  in 

harbour.     Was   shown   all  over   E.i8  and  had   a 
cocktail,  Landale  doing  the  honours.      After  lun- 
cheon with  Lawrence  and  other  officers,  went  below 
to  the  ward-room.     Lawrence  took  me  after  dinner 
to  visit  Girard,  the  British  Consul,  and  his  wife. 
Wednesday,       To  small  dinner  at  the  Embassy  given  for  the 
ec.  i.       .  Qranc[  Duress  Vladimir.     In  the  evening  she  did 
a  jig-saw  puzzle,  not  having  played  cards  since 
the  war  began. 


VISIT  TO  ANGLO-RUSSIAN  HOSPITAL    39 

Yesterday  the  Grand  Duchess  telephoned  me  to        1915 
come   to   service   and   luncheon,   as   she   thought  D^d*y'  D. 
I    would    like    to    meet    an    archbishop.      In    the 
evening  to  Le  Voleur  at  Th6atre  Michel.     To-day, 
on  my  return  from  Tsarskoe,  where  the  Emperor 
and  family  were  at  church,  but  not  the  little  boy, 
I    went    to    Anglo-Russian    Hospital,    which    the 
Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  was  visiting. 

Dined  last  night  with  Grand  Duchess  and  Grand  Sunday, 
Duke    Andre.     Left    this    morning    at    7.30    for  Dec<  I9'  D* 
England. 


NINETEEN  SIXTEEN 


NINETEEN  SIXTEEN 

CHRISTIANIA.     Not   too   bad    a    crossing.        1916 
As  we  were  nearing  Arendal,  in  Norway,   y^  ^' 
we  nearly  ran  into  a  mine.     The  sudden 
veering  of  the  steamer  threw  us  all  off  our  seats. 
All  along  the  south  coast  of  Norway,  where  there 
are    many   currents,    loose   mines    are    constantly 
being  washed  up. 

TORNEO  :  the  frontier  town  of  the  Russian  Friday, 
Empire.  The  Customs  officials  were  insisting  on 
opening  my  luggage,  when  I  told  them  that  I  had 
passed  out  of  France  into  England,  out  of  England 
into  Norway,  out  of  Norway  into  Sweden,  and  out 
of  Sweden  without  any  examination.  I  protested 
that,  as  I  was  carrying  a  Foreign  Office  bag,  English 
and  French  official  papers,  and  letters  from  the 
Russian  Embassy,*  I  would  not  allow  anything  to 
be  touched  now  that  I  was  in  Russia.  The  head 
official  replied,  "  You  are  in  Finland,  not  in 
Russia  !  "  On  my  declaring  that  I  would  sit  on  my 
luggage  until  orders  arrived  from  the  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs  in  Petrograd,  they  climbed  down. 

A  perfect  Arctic  day.     In  front  of  the  station,  on 

*  This  as  a  matter  of  courtesy  and  not  in  an  official  capacity. 
The  English  Foreign  Office  and  War  Office  gladly  seized  any 
opportunity  of  direct  communication  with  Russia  through 
reputable  channels. 

43 


44  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  a  detached  birch-tree  covered  with  hoar-frost 
silhouetted  against  the  faintest  blue  sky,  were 
seventeen  magpies  settling  to  roost.  A  symphony 
in  black  and  white,  until  the  sky  became  bright 
crimson  at  sundown. 

Sunday,  PETROGRAD.     Arrived  midnight.     In  the  morn- 

Jan.  23.  D.  -ng  to  Embassy  with  bag  and  parcels  and  to  Foreign 
Office  with  a  book  for  Sazonov.  Then  to  Grand 
Duchess  Vladimir's  palace  to  church.  My  unex- 
pected appearance  at  Mass  startled  her.  After 
luncheon  sat  on,  giving  her  Paris  and  London  news 
of  her  many  friends.  To  ballet  after  dinner. 
Feb.  5.  L.  I  found  our  Grand  Duchess  better  in  health  than 
when  I  left,  not  so  white  or  weary.  She  says  that 
nobody,  except  you,  gives  her  any  news  of  people 
in  their  letters  from  France.  She  is  always  longing 
to  know  what  has  become  of  her  numerous  French 
friends,  and  what  they  are  doing. 

Wednesday  was  the  birthday  of  the  Kyrills' 
eldest  little  girl,  so  there  was  a  cinema  and  tea  and 
dancing  at  our  Grand  Duchess's.  I  led  a  cotillon— 
such  a  romp  !  I  must  say  I  thoroughly  enjoyed  it. 
I  hadn't  run  about  so  much  since  the  war  began. 
It  was  great  fun,  and  the  children  loved  it :  I 
was  so  stiff  next  day  I  couldn't  move. 

Yesterday  at  a  children's  party  at  the  Kyrills' 
the  English  Ambassador's  daughter  danced  a  pas 
seul  to  the  admiration  of  everybody. 

The  Emperor  came  back  last  Monday  night.  I 
shall  go  to  church  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  on  Sunday  just 
to  see  him  smile  and  hear  the  Cossacks  salute  him 
with  a  yell ! 


DINNER  AT  THE  FRENCH  EMBASSY  45 

Old  Prince  Gorchakov  is  rather  shaky.     He  sleeps        1916 
on  a  sofa  in  his  drawing-room  surrounded  by  palm- 
trees.     The   French   Embassy   has   dinners   every 
week  and  I  dine  there  again  on  Wednesday — ex- 
cellent food  and  wine,  and  it  is  always  agreeable. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Anglo-Russian  Hospital 
the  Empress  Marie,  the  Emperor's  two  daughters, 
and  our  Grand  Duchess  were  there.  It's  a  fine 
hospital — well  arranged. 

The  days  are  dark — no  sun — though  beginning 
to  lengthen.  You  don't  know  how  I  miss  the  sun 
after  twenty  winters  in  Sicily,  and  I  envy  you  at 
Cannes  waking  up  in  the  morning  and  looking  down 
over  the  sea  bathed  in  sunshine. 

To  dinner  with  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  and  Tuesday, 
afterwards  went  with  her  to  the  Imperial  Academy 
to  a  lecture — "  Italian  Influence  on  Russian  Archi- 
tecture "  —with  splendid  illustrations  projected  on 
a  screen.  During  dinner  Grand  Duke  Boris  told 
me  he  had  given  my  Memorandum  to  the  Emperor. 

To  Admiralty  at  10,  where  I  was  informed  the  Wednesday, 
official  approval  had  already  been  telegraphed  by 
the  Emperor's  command. 

Just  before  dinner  the  Embassy  telephoned 
laconically,  "  The  Emperor  will  receive  you  at 
Tsarskoe  at  half -past  two  to-morrow  "  —nothing 
else,  no  instructions  as  to  clothes,  etc.  Dining  the 
same  evening  at  the  French  Embassy,  the  Grand 
Duke  Boris  said  to  me,  "  You  must  talk  to  the 
Emperor  just  as  you  do  to  me,  and  tell  him  every- 
thing you  know."  He  had  spoken  to  the  Emperor 
about  me,  as  also  had  Sazonov.  The  French 


46  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916        Ambassador  said,   "  Ne  laissez  tomber  jamais  la 


conversation." 


Feb.  13.  L.  The  favour  shown  me  was  almost  unique.  The 
Embassy  cannot  ask  for  any  private  person  to  be 
granted  an  audience.  There  had  not  been  a  similar 
case,  and  they  did  not  know  what  clothes  I  ought 
to  wear.  Fortunately,  having  sent  early  in  the 
morning  to  ask  about  this,  I  heard  by  telephone 
that  I  was  to  appear  in  dress  clothes. 

I  left  my  hotel  at  12.40  and  took  the  train  for 
Tsarskoe  Selo,  where  a  Court  carriage  awaited  me 
at  the  station.  At  the  palace  I  was  shown  first 
into  a  room  in  the  suite  always  occupied  by  the 
Grand  Duchess  Serge  on  her  visits  to  her  sister, 
the  Empress.  Prince  Dolgorukov  soon  came  and 
fetched  me,  when,  passing  through  the  great  gallery, 
I  found,  to  my  surprise,  Mile.  Olive  waiting  for 
the  Grand  Duchess  Marie  Pavlovna,  who  was  at 
luncheon  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress. 

The  Grand  Duchess  told  me  at  dinner  next  day 
that  she  had  not  known  I  was  to  be  received  to-day, 
but  that  during  luncheon  the  Emperor  read  out 
my  name  from  the  day's  list  of  audiences. 

After  Prince  Dolgorukov  and  I  had  sat  with 
Mile.  Olive  for  a  few  minutes  she  told  me  not  to 
linger,  as  the  Emperor  always  escorted  the  Grand 
Duchess  to  her  automobile,  traversing  the  gallery, 
and  I  ought  not  to  meet  him  before  he  had  received 
me. 

So  we  continued  our  way  to  the  great  drawing- 
room  at  the  end  of  the  gallery,  where  everybody 
had  to  wait  before  being  received  by  the  Emperor. 


INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  EMPEROR     47 

Three   officers  were   already  there  waiting   to   be        1916 
decorated  with  the  St.  George's  Cross.     They  were 
called  before  me. 

After  a  few  minutes  I  was  summoned  by  an 
attendant  in  the  livery  of  an  eighteenth-century 
courier,  wearing  a  flat  hat  with  a  huge  bunch  of 
red-and-yellow  ostrich  feathers  on  the  left  side. 
He  conducted  me  along  a  corridor  to  the  Emperor's 
cabinet  de  travail.  I  found  him  standing  near  the 
door.  On  receiving  me  he  said,  "  I  am  so  pleased 
you  were  able  to  come  to-day,  as  I  leave  to-night 
at  10  for  the  Front."  This  put  me  at  my  ease. 
He  said,  "  I  know  your  face  ;  I  think  we  must  have 
met  before."  I  replied,  "  I  think,  sir,  you  may 
have  seen  me  at  the  Feodorovski  Sobor  [cathedral], 
as  I  have  permission  to  attend  Your  Majesty's 
church."  His  simplicity  wins  one's  heart. 

He  said  the  Empress  knew  my  name.  At  lun- 
cheon—-so  the  Grand  Duchess  Marie  Pavlovna  also 
told  me  later— the  Emperor  said  to  her,  "  Why 
don't  you  receive  him  after  me  r  "  She  replied 
that  she  had  to  go  to  her  hospital.  I  am  glad,  as 
it  might  have  shortened  my  time  with  him. 

We  crossed  the  room  to  his  writing-table  :  in 
Russia  they  are  all  enormous.  The  Emperor  then 
asked  me  to  sit  down,  and  offered  me  cigarettes.  As 
I  was  trying  to  get  my  match-box  out,  he  thought 
I  was  taking  out  my  cigarette-case,  and  said, 
"  Perhaps  you  would  rather  smoke  your  own  ?  " 

He  conversed  with  me  for  very  nearly  an  hour, 
talking  of  the  Empress  Marie — whose  ill-treatment 
by  the  Germans  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  he 


48  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  declared  he  would  never  forgive — and  of  her  unhap- 
piness  at  being  unable  to  see  her  sister,  Queen 
Alexandra  ;  of  the  Heir  Apparent  and  his  health  ; 
of  his  accompanying  Queen  Victoria  to  visit  a  near 
relative  of  my  own  in  London.  I  explained  the 
object  of  my  visit  to  Russia,  and  then  we  got  back 
to  politics  and  the  war — America,  Zeppelins,  Bel- 
gium, munitions,  and  God  knows  what ! 

We  talked  of  Peter  the  Great ;  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth and  John  the  Terrible,  who  wanted  to  marry 
her.  I  recounted  the  Torneo  incident,*  and  some 
of  my  own  war  experiences  :  the  exodus  from  Paris 
in  August  1914 ;  the  Battle  of  the  Marne  ;  my 
automobile  accident  at  the  evacuation  of  Ostend, 
October  14,  1914  ;  my  visit  to  Ypres,  November  8, 
1914.  I  related  how  Lady  Ripon,  in  the  King 
George  the  Fifth  Hospital,  with  her  wonderful 
instinct  for  organisation,  got  hold  of  sixty-six 
pianos  from  friends  and  acquaintances  for  the 
wounded  soldiers'  entertainment  at  Christmas, 
returning  them  all  next  morning  to  their  lenders. 

The  Emperor  listened  with  deep  interest  while  I 
told  him  about  the  Irish  Catholic  lad  lying  mortally 
wounded  in  the  hospital  of  Princess  Murat  at 
Chambly  in  September  1914.  Seeing  he  was  sinking 
fast,  she  asked  if  he  had  messages  to  send  home. 
"  None,"  he  answered.  A  few  moments  passed  ; 
then,  raising  himself  slowly  in  his  bed,  he  said 
in  a  loud,  firm  voice,  "  I  die  for  King  George  and 
England  !  "  and  fell  back  dead. 
|!  He  asked  me,  "  Where  are  you  staying  ?  I  hope 
*  See  Jan.  21,  supra. 


FEODOROVSKI  SOBOR,  THE  EMPEROR'S  CHURCH  AT 
TSARSKOE  SELO 


THE  EMPEROR  ON  LORD  KITCHENER  49 

you  are  comfortable  ?  "  I  named  my  hotel,  and 
he  remarked,  "  I  believe  there's  a  newer  hotel,  but 
I  can't  remember  the  name."  I  said  the  new  hotel 
was  the  rendezvous  of  a  not  very  attractive  clientele. 
He  laughed — "  Perhaps  you  are  getting  old  ?  "  I 
rejoined,  "  No,  sir  !  It's  the  ladies  that  are  old  ; 
I  still  feel  quite  young." 

Happening  to  mention  that  as  soon  as  anybody 
arrived  in  Petrograd  from  London  and  Paris  he 
was  beset  with  friends  anxious  to  hear  of  the 
fashions,  gossip,  and  literature,  of  the  last  new  plays 
at  the  Paris  theatres,  and  so  on,  I  compared  it  to 
the  arrival  of  a  traveller  in  the  days  of  Catherine 
the  Second.  The  Emperor  rejoined,  "  It  reminds 
me  of  the  time  of  Ivan  the  Terrible,  when  Russia's 
only  seaport  was  Archangel,  just  as  it  is  now." 

Alluding  to  the  subject  of  reputations  lost  in  the 
war,  the  Emperor  remarked  to  me  :  "  One  ought 
not  to  judge  any  person  who  may  be  thought  to 
have  failed  in  his  duty  or  his  judgment  until  the 
war  is  over  ;  for  it  might  well  happen  that  those 
who  are  now  severely  criticised  will,  before  the 
end,  be  found  to  have  been  right  after  all." 

We  talked  much  of  Lord  Kitchener,  and  I  related 
that  it  was  entirely  due  to  him  and  to  his  name 
with  his  countrymen  that  the  colossal  volunteer 
enlistment  had  been  carried  through  in  England. 
When  I  expressed  a  hope  that  Lord  Kitchener's 
name  was  known  and  respected  in  the  Russian 
Army  the  Emperor  instantly  answered,  "  I  should 
think  so  indeed  !  We  should  all  feel  it  deeply  if 
he  were  to  leave  the  War  Office."  On  the  spur  of 


So  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  the  moment,  and  wishing  to  say  what  was  pleasant, 
I  answered,  "  There  is  no  chance  of  that,  sir."  He 
replied  with  emphasis,  "  That's  very  good  news." 
Mentioning  General  Callwell,  who  had  expressed 
to  me  his  great  devotion  to  Lord  Kitchener,  the 
Emperor  spoke  with  evident  appreciation  of  him, 
telling  me  he  was  looking  forward  to  the  English 
General's  return  with  lots  of  news  "  and  other 
things" 

What  impressed  me  most  of  all  was  his  cri  du 
cceur,  "  The  most  agreeable  of  all  my  duties  is  going 
to  the  Front."  He  is  to  be  away  at  the  Front  for 
twelve  days. 

When  the  Emperor  wished  me  good-bye  he  said, 
"  If  you  leave  without  my  seeing  you  again,  please 
convey  to  the  King  and  Queen  that  I  am  always 
thinking  of  them,  and  lay  all  my  affectionate  love 
at  their  feet." 

On  leaving  I  returned  with  Prince  Dolgorukov 
and  the  officer  on  guard  to  tea  in  the  Grand  Duchess 
Elizabeth's  apartments,  leaving  at  4.15  for  Petro- 
grad. 

I  thoroughly  enjoyed  my  visit  and  am  quite 
pleased  with  myself. 

I  dined  with  my  Grand  Duchess  and  her  youngest 
son  next  day,  to  tell  her  all  about  it,  and  when 
they  heard  I  had  been  there  three-quarters  of  an 
hour,  that  I  had  sat  down  all  the  time,  and  had 
smoked  cigarettes  with  him,  they  both  said,  "  It 
is  unheard  of !  You  don't  know  what  audiences 
are — ten  minutes  at  the  longest,  and  standing 
up!" 


SYEROV'S  PORTRAIT  OF  THE  EMPEROR  51 

I   send  you  a   post  card  of  Syerov's  wonderful        1916 
portrait  of  the  Emperor,  which  has  all  his  charm. 
Syerov's  picture  was  hung  in  the  Winter  Palace.* 

To  Prince  Gorchakov's  at  tea-time,  where  I  led  Tuesday, 
a    children's    cotillon,    and    dined    at    the    French  Feb>  I5'  D' 
Embassy  to  meet  the  Grand  Duchess  Marie  Pav- 
lovna.     A  long  conversation  with   Sazonov,  who 
told  me  he  loved  the  Emperor. 

To  the  anniversary  requiem  for  the  Grand  Duke  Thursday, 
Vladimir  at  the  Fortress  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul.  Feb'  I7'  D' 
Much  touched  by  the  Grand  Duchess  sending  her 
equerry  to  bring  me  on  to  her  palace.     Passed  by 
English  Embassy,  where   I    was    already  engaged 
to  luncheon,  to  explain  that  I  could  not  come. 

At  the  opera.     All  the  Allies'  National  Anthems 
were  sung  in  honour  of  the  taking  of  Erzrum. 

To  see  Trepov,  Minister  of  Ways  and  Communi-  Saturday, 
cations,  who  had  been  commanded  by  the  Emperor  3  eb" I9'  Dt 
to  receive  me.    To  ballet,  where  Fokine's  Andalu- 
sian  Jota,  danced  by  his  wife,  was  given  for  the 
first  time.     The  scenery  was  remarkable — the  dance 
takes   place   on   a  plateau  with  nothing   but   the 
Sierra  Nevada  in  the  far  distance. 

After  dinner  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir,  Monday, 
to  a  soiree  at  the  Academy,  of  which  she  is  the     e  ' 2I'  D' 
President.     A  charming  evening,  with  Karsavina 
dancing.     Afterwards    an    auction    of    prints    and 
drawings  on  behalf  of  the  Red  Cross. 

Having  an  Embassy  ticket  for  the  opening  of  Tuesday, 

Feb.  22.   £>, 

*  During  the  Revolution  of  1917  a  boy  was  carrying  it 
across  the  Winter  Palace  square ;  he  was  stopped  by  Bolshe- 
viki,  who  slashed  it  in  pieces  and  stamped  it  into  pulp. 


52  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1910  the  Duma,  was  much  disappointed  at  their  asking 
for  it  back  at  the  last  moment — too  late  for  me  to 
get  another  from  my  Russian  friends.  In  the 
afternoon  heard  that  the  Duma  had  been  opened 
by  the  Emperor,  accompanied  by  the  Grand  Duke 
Michael.  No  one  knew  of  this  till  he  arrived  there. 

Monday,  Luncheon    at    the    Embassy   with    General    Sir 

Feb.  28.  D.  Arthur  Paget  and  Lord  Pembroke,  who  had  come 
to  deliver  to  the  Emperor  the  Field-Marshal's  baton 
sent  him  by  King  George.  When  the  time  came 
for  making  the  ceremonial  presentation,  and  the 
General  had  begun  his  speech,  it  was  found  that  the 
baton  had  been  left  on  the  piano  in  another  room, 
and  had  to  be  hastily  fetched. 

Saturday,  On  Sunday  last,  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
ar'  "'  '  Kchessinskaia's  entrance  to  the  ballet,  she  took  over 
the  house  and  sold  all  the  tickets  herself,  and  gave 
the  money  (£3200)  to  the  Red  Cross.  She  danced 
the  Talisman — her  great  success.  Sir  Arthur 
Paget  was  in  the  centre  Imperial  box,  and  "  God 
Save  the  King "  was  played,  and  he  bowed  all 
round.  A  fine  house.  Three  Grand  Dukes  in  their 
side  box. 

Monday,  Yesterday  went  to  church  at  Tsarskoe  Selo.    The 

ar' I3'     '  Empress   drove  away  with  the   second  daughter, 

and  the  Emperor  with  the  other  three,  and  the  little 

boy  in  a  sledge  with  three  horses.     They  all  looked 

so  happy  together. 

Tuesday,  At  11.30  to  the  votive  church  for  the  anniversary 

ar"  14-  •  requiern  for  Alexander  II.  Church  crowded  with 
Government  officials  and  important  members  of 
the  Imperial  household. 


COSSACK  GEORGIAN  OFFICERS        53 

After    visits    to    the    Grand    Duchess    and    the        1916 
Embassy,  left  Petrograd  in  the  evening  for  Tiflis.  Mar.Ty.  D. 
Found  Terestchenko  in  the  train  :   we  talked  in  my 
cabin  from  4  to  5.     Between  Baku  and  Tiflis  saw 
pelicans   and   storks   fishing   in   the   marshes   and 
camels   working   in   the   fields.     Arrived   at   Tiflis 
3  p.m. 

TIFLIS.     General    Call  well    at    luncheon    at    my  Wednesday, 
hotel — just  back  from  the  frontier  and  Batum.     He     p     5< 
came  to  decorate  the  Russian  General  who  had 
taken  Erzrum,  but — the  roads   being  almost   im- 
passable— the  latter  had  to  come  to  the  frontier 
to  receive  his  English  order. 

TIFLIS.  Visited  the  old  churches  and  Armenian  Friday, 
bazaar.  In  the  afternoon  saw  the  new  moon  and  p  7* 
the  first  swallows. 

TIFLIS.     I  must  own  to  you  that  Tiflis  has  been  Sunday, 
a  disappointment  after  all  I  had  been  told  about     pn  9' 
it.     The  hotel  life  here  is  delightful — some  twenty 
Cossack  Georgian  officers,  en  conge  or  en  convalescence, 
all  live  or  eat  in  the  hotel. 

Amongst  them  is  the  great  Tolstoy's  youngest 
son — great  fun  !  They  remind  me  of  the  Sicilians, 
and  run  in  and  out  from  their  meals  all  the  time. 
They  all  have  improbable  waists,  and  are  hung 
with  poignards  and  swords.  They  are  trying  to 
get  up  a  Georgian  cavalry  regiment,  but  the  ques- 
tion of  horses  and  saddles  is  difficult.  If  they  do, 
I  shall  join  them  as  invite  on  June  15  and  do 
the  summer  campaign  with  them  :  they  say  I  could 
be  of  use  in  many  ways.  All  Georgians  are  born 
warriors. 


54  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  I  went  to  see  Prince  Napoleon  Murat  yesterday. 

He  was  frost-bitten  in  the  knees  in  Galicia,  and 
about  a  month  ago  he  fell  down  just  as  he  was 
getting  better,  and  has  been  in  bed  for  a  month, 
but  now  he  is  picking  up  again.  I  told  him  all  I 
could  about  France  :  the  tears  came  to  his  eyes. 
He  is  adored  here.  He  was  pleased  to  hear  that 
the  Emperor  had  spoken  of  him. 

I  wish  Trebizond  could  be  taken  while  I  am  here, 
but  the  Turks  are  very  strong  there  and  have  been 
reinforcing  since  the  fall  of  Erzrum.  The  food  is 
excellent  in  the  hotel — rice  with  nearly  everything 
and  black  cherry  jam  ;  almond  and  pistachio  tart- 
lets, also  wine  ;  so  I  am  all  right. 

Tuesday,  TIFLIS.     Would  have  liked  to  motor  over  the 

April  ii.  D.  caucasian  Mountains  and  take  the  train  at  Vladi- 

kavkas,  but  the  road  is  not  yet  opened  and  no 

automobile  has  come  over  from  there,  so  took  seats 

in  train  for  Petrograd. 

Wednesday,       TIFLIS.     The  hotel  courier,  George — whose  family 
April  12.  D.  ka(j  been  massacrec[  by  the  Turks  near  Erzrum— 

rushed  in  and  said  a  motor-car  had  arrived  from 
Vladikavkas  and  he  had  engaged  it  for  me  for 
to-morrow  morning. 

Thursday,         Left    hotel    in    automobile    exactly    6.45    a.m. 

April  13.  D.  Reached  the  summit  1.20  p.m.  (127  versts).  Excel- 
lent road  cut  through  deeps  now  on  the  top.  Arrived 
at  Vladikavkas  at  4. 

Friday,  VLADIKAVKAS.      Joined    the    train    at    5    a.m. 

April  14.  D.  wllic}l   had    left    Tiflig    tnirty-eight    hours    before. 

Glorious  morning ;  saw  the  sun  rise  over  the 
mountains. 


CROSSING  THE  CAUCASUS  MOUNTAINS  55 

PETROGRAD.     Arrived  midday. 

Sunday, 
April  16.  D. 

I  came  away  from  Tiflis  by  the  military  road  Tuesday, 

across   the   Caucasus   Mountains,    8000   feet   high.  ^PJl1 18-  L* 

5        to  Mar- 

The  road  was  better  than  might  have  been  expected,  chioness  of 
as  I  was  in  the  first  automobile  to  cross  this  year.  RlP°n- 
One  comes  down  on  the  north  side  through  a  narrow 
defile  with  a  dashing  torrent.     The  chauffeur  was 
not  very  attentive  to  his  car,  and  preferred  looking 
over  the  precipices  to  looking  at  the  turnings  in 
front  of  him.     I  had  at  last  to  threaten  him  with 
personal  violence.    I  had  paid  for  the  journey  before 
leaving. 

As  we  flew  down  this  narrow  defile  there  rose 
suddenly  in  the  middle  of  it  a  great  detached  rock 
or  small  hill  with  a  ruined  castle  on  it.  It  was 
there  that  "  Tham'ara  "  in  the  Russian  ballet  lured 
her  victims.  Furtively  the  chauffeur  pointed  at  it 
with  one  hand,  but  did  not  dare  to  turn  round  to 
say  anything,  so  I  leant  forward  and  said,  "  Schto 
takoi  ?  "  ("  What  is  it  ?  "),  and  he  only  said, 
"  Tham'ara."  I  looked  up  quickly,  and  through  a 
window  could  picture  the  voluptuous  almond  eyes 
of  Karsavina  as  "  Tham'ara  "  looking  for  another 
victim,  and  beneath  the  rocks  the  bleached  bones 
and  nose  of  dear  Mr.  Bolm. 

There  I  was,  at  the  foot  of  the  very  castle  we 
had  so  often — sitting  in  your  box  at  Co  vent  Garden 
—admired  the  interior  of,  and  through  its  window 
gazed  on  the  view  of  the  defile.  I  fancied  I  saw  one 
of  her  cushions  at  the  window  as  I  flew  down  the 
road  seeking  safety  for  my  virtue  and  my  bones. 


56  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

i9l6  I  think  "  Tham'ara  "  must  have  lived  on  trout 

and  mutton — as  there  is  nothing  else  in  the  country 
— and  of  course  on  rice,  like  every  good  Georgian. 
After  the  war  I  shall  propose  to  you  to  come  out 
and  see  the  castle  and  Mr.  Bolm's  skeleton. 

When  the  Russians  got  to  Erzrum  there  was  not 
one  Christian  alive  save  six  girls  in  the  American 
Consulate.  The  guide  of  the  Tiflis  Hotel  was  a 
Christian  Turk,  not  Armenian,  and  his  town  was  a 
little  to  the  south  of  Erzrum.  There  all  the  Chris- 
tians were  also  massacred — 840,  including  his  old 
grandmother. 

Tell  his  lordship  I  saw  in  the  Caucasus  herons, 
storks,  pelicans,  white  eagles  with  black  tips  to 
their  wings,  many  kestrels  and  buzzards,  flamingos, 
yellow  water-wagtails  and  dark  red  woodpeckers, 
magpies  and  jays,  heaps  of  ducks,  I  think  shel- 
drakes (but  not  near  enough  for  me  to  distinguish), 
and  one  kingfisher. 

All  the  fruit-trees  were  in  blossom  in  the  valleys 
at  Tiflis — peaches,  apricots,  plums,  and  cherries. 

I  dined  with  the  Grand  Duchess  last  night.  I 
found  her  well  and  in  good  spirits  ;  we  talked 
much  about  you.  She  declares  she  never  hears 
any  news  when  I  am  away  !  The  family  have  been 
much  exercised  where  the  Emperor  will  be  at 
Easter.  The  Emperor  spends  Easter  at  the  Front. 
Wednesday,  Last  night,  in  the  street,  from  a  friend  in  the 
April  19.  D.  gecret  Service,  heard  of  the  taking  of  Trebizond. 
Immediately  wrote  this  to  the  Grand  Duchess,  who 
was  at  dinner  with  her  three  sons  ;  none  of  them 
Jcnew  it.  Luncheon  to-day  with  the  Grand  Duchess, 


GOOD  FRIDAY  CEREMONIES  57 

and  afterwards  saw  from  the  palace  windows  the  1916 
ceremony  of  the  opening  of  the  Neva.  The  Governor 
of  the  Peter-Paul  Fortress  stood  at  the  river-side 
entrance,  where  he  was  first  saluted  by  the  State 
barge  of  the  town,  on  which  he  embarked.  He  was 
then  met  by  the  barges  of  the  Admiralty  and  the 
Preobrajenski  Guards  and  escorted  to  the  Winter 
Palace.  Afterwards  I  went  to  Pavlosk  to  see  Prince 
Christopher  of  Greece,  who  is  staying  with  his 
mother,  Queen  Olga.  Fine  old  English  prints  in  all 
the  corridors. 

Orthodox  Good  Friday,  same  day  as  ours  this  Good  Fri- 
year — rare.     To  luncheon  off  caviare  at  Polovtsov's.  ^y'  ^prl 
He  most  kindly  took  me  to  the  St.  Alexander  Nevski 
Lavra  (monastery)  to  see  the  Good  Friday  Proces- 
sion from  one  church  to  the  other.     The  "  Tomb  " 
which  is  a  flat  picture  of  the  dead  Christ — was 
carried   by  four   of  the   clergy,   the   Metropolitan 
walking   underneath   the   icon,   bearing   it   on   his 
uplifted    hands.     At    7    to    the    Grand    Duchess 
Vladimir's  church,  where  the  three  Grand  Dukes 
carried  the  "  tomb."     Afterwards  dined  maigre  with 
her  and  her  children. 

This  afternoon,  while  watching  the  crowd  out  Holy 
of  the  window  of  my  room,  suddenly  realised  that  ^u^7 'i> 
the  curtains  were  on  fire.     Before  I  could  get  help 
half  the  room  in  flames.     My  only  consolation  was 
to  hear  later  that  the  flag  was  hoisted  on  the  fire- 
tower  at  the  end  of  my  street,  which  dates  from 
earliest  Petrograd. 

At  half-past  eleven  at  night  drove  to  St.  Isaac's, 
where  from  my  izvoschik  saw  the  Easter  procession 


58  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  passing  round  the  cathedral.  The  Peter-Paul  For- 
tress cannon  were  firing  minute  guns.  Then  to 
the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's  church,  where  the 
Divine  Liturgy  was  not  over  till  one  in  the  morning. 
We  sat  down  to  supper,  forty-two  people  at  three 
tables.  I  was  on  the  Grand  Duchess's  left.  At 
a  quarter  to  three  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  drove 
Princess  Susie  Belosselski  *  and  me  to  the  Michael 
Gorchakovs,  where  we  stayed  till  5. 

Easter  At  noon  returned  to  the  Vladimir  palace.     The 

April%'  D  Grand  Duchess  presented  each  of  the  entire  house- 
hold— over  two  hundred — with  an  Easter  egg,  and 
afterwards  her  eldest  son,  the  Grand  Duke  Kyrill, 
gave  everybody  the  Easter  kiss,  except  the  old 
Lutheran  housekeeper.  I,  with  those  who  had  at 
different  times  accompanied  Her  Imperial  Highness 
to  the  Front,  was  presented  with  a  platinum  badge 
of  her  initials  entwined  round  a  Red  Cross. 
Monday,  In  the  morning  to  the  Admiralty.  In  the  after- 

April  24.  D.  noon  to  a  children's  party  at  the  Grand  Duchess 

Vladimir's.  Great  fun  with  the  children  hunting 
all  over  the  house  for  hidden  Easter  eggs.  Back  to 
dinner  there.  Grand  Duke  Boris  proposed  my 
leaving  with  him  on  Wednesday  for  Kiev  to  see  the 
Grand  Duke  Alexander  Michailovich,  head  of  the 
Air  Service. 

Wednesday,  Left  at  5.30  for  Kiev.  Dined  with  Grand  Duke 
Boris  in  his  private  car,  with  Countess  Zamoyska 
and  Grand  Duke  Sergei  Michailovich. 

At  Gomel  Station  met  General  Lukomski,  who 

*  Princess   Suzanne  Belosselski,   nee   Whittier,   m.   Prince 
Serge. 


AT  KIEV  59 

had  been  so  kind  and  courteous  to  me  at  the  War        1916 
Office — which  he  left  at  the  same  time  with  the 
Minister  of  War,  General  Polivanov.    He  was  on  his 
way  to  take  up  a  command  in  the  South- Western 
Army. 

KIEV.     Arrived  here  6.15  a.m.     Luncheon  with  Friday, 
a  lot  of  officers,  and  to  the  ballet  with  them  in  the  APril  28-  D- 
evening.     Supper  and  bed  at  5  a.m. 

KIEV.     To    write    my    name    on    Grand    Duke  Saturday, 
Alexander.     Dined    with    the    Ambassador,    Lady  April  29>  D- 
Georgina  and  Miss  Meriel,  who  had  just  arrived 
from  a  fortnight's  stay  in  the  Crimea. 

KIEV.  To-day  is  the  Tyszkiewicz-Branicka  *  mar-  Sunday, 
riage  at  Bielozervig,  two  hours  from  Kiev,  to  which  Apnl  3°'  D' 
all  Poland  was  going.    The  Grand  Duke  Boris  was 
sent  by  the  Emperor  to  represent  him.     One  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  sat  down  to  breakfast,  served 
on    Louis-Quinze    vermeil.     The    house,    where    I 
stayed  in   1909,  is  crammed  with  priceless  objets 
cfart.     The  Grand  Duke  Boris  sent  his  A.D.C.  to 
ask  me  to  dinner  in  my  hotel.     We  were  thirty-two 
— all  wedding  guests  just  returned  from  the  wedding. 

KIEV.     After   luncheon   with   the   Grand   Duke  Monday, 
Boris  he  drove  me  to  the  Grand  Duke  Alexander's,  May  *'     D' 
who  was  out.     He  went  in  and  explained  my  mission 
to  the  A.D.C.     We  returned  to  the  hotel.     Later 
Grand  Duke  Alexander  telephoned  to  me  to  come, 
and  I  went.     He  listened  most  attentively  to  what 
I  had  to  say  and  then  asked  me  for  European  news. 
He  told  me  he  had  heard  from  an  American  in 
Paris,  who  wrote  of  nothing  but  amusements  and 
*  Count  Benedict  Tyszkiewicz,  m.  Countess  Rose  Branicka. 


6o 


RUSSIAN  DIARY 


1916 


Friday, 
May  5.     L. 


Sunday, 
May  7.     D. 


Tuesday, 
May  9.     D. 


Thursday, 
May  ii.    D 


Monday, 
May  15.    D 


the    weather.     This    selfishness    and    indifference 
horrified  him. 

PETROGRAD.  Arrived  Wednesday.  Saturday  *  is 
the  Empress's  name-day,  when  the  whole  family 
has  luncheon  at  Tsarskoe  Selo.  Princess  Susie 
Belosselski's  son  was  married  last  Sunday  in  their 
beautiful  old  house  on  the  Christovski  Island. 
Being  a  lovely  day,  everybody  was  in  the  garden. 

Alone  to  Peterhof .  It's  so  beautiful  —  like 
Hampton  Court,  with  the  sea  instead  of  the  river, 
the  woods  carpeted  with  flowers,  and  no  tourists 
yet ;  the  fountains  only  begin  next  Sunday. 

An  attache  of  our  Embassy  died  quite  suddenly, 
and  we  all  went  to  the  funeral  yesterday ;  the 
French  Ambassador  walked  with  us  to  the  cemetery 
in  a  blazing  sun.  Greenway  was  only  twenty-three, 
a  very  nice  boy. 

Snowing  deliberately  and  the  roofs  quite  white. 
Luncheon  at  the  Grand  Duchess's  to-day  to  meet 
Prince  Christopher  of  Greece,  who  leaves  to-morrow. 
Afterwards  accompanied  her  to  the  Academy,  where 
there  was  a  fine  exhibition  of  English  posters. 

The  Grand  Duchess's  birthday.  Took  her  a  pink 
rose-tree.  Then  to  her  church  for  Te  Deum.  At 
luncheon  (sixty-two  converts)  I  was  the  only 
foreigner.  Grand  Duke  Paul  proposed  her  health. 
In  the  evening  the  two  demoiselles  d'honneur  gave 
a  musical  party  in  their  apartments,  followed  by  a 
surprise  supper  and  the  Grand  Duke  Boris's 
orchestra.  Supper  at  1.30  ;  daylight  at  2  ;  home 
at  3.  All  very  pleasant  and  gay. 

*   April  23,  O.S.,  St.  George's  Day. 


LADY  MURIEL  PAGET  61 

Emperor's  birthday,  and  Monday  *  another  holi-        1916 
day  !     This  month,  with  Sundays,  there  are  eleven  May^'.  D. 
holidays    in    thirty-one    days.     This    is    like    the 
kingdom  of  Naples  before  1860. 

Saw  the  first  basket  of  cherries  and  sent  them  Sunday, 
to  the  Grand  Duchess.     Every  one  in  love  with 
Albert   Thomas — the    Grand   Duchess   says   he   is 
delightful.     Back  in  my  burnt-out  room,  smelling 
of  paint,  but  spick  and  span,  with  new  curtains. 

I   have   made   great   friends  with  Lady  Muriel  Wednesday, 
Paget,  who  has  come  out  about  the  Anglo-Russian      ay  24' 
Hospital.     I  find  her  charming,  and  also  efficient. 
The    Anglo-Russian    Hospital    was    in    splendid 
isolation  and  she  has  already  made  it  more  human 
and  more  useful. 

I  took  her  to  see  the  Grand  Duchess  on  Sun- 
day about  the  field  hospital  going  to  the  Front. 
The  Grand  Duke  Andre  came  in,  and  in  a  minute 
he  had  telephoned  for  her  to  see  the  General 
commanding  the  Guards  Division,  to  which  she 
had  hoped  to  be  attached  ;  so  now  it's  all  fixed  up. 
The  Grand  Duke  Andre  arranged  it  all  and  Lady 
Muriel  is  to  leave  directly.  The  Grand  Duchess, 
who  has  taken  immensely  to  her,  yesterday  visited 
the  hospital  and  was  received  by  the  Ambassador. 
She  spoke  to  all  the  wounded  men  and  afterwards 
went  with  Lady  Muriel  to  her  room  to  talk  over 
the  field  hospital. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  do  anything  for  Lady  Muriel ; 
she  is  so  quick  and  grateful. 

In  the  afternoon  went  to  the  Cour  des   Pages  Sunday, 

May  28.    D 
*  Feast  of  St.  Nicolas,  the  Emperor's  patron. 


62  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  for  the  blessing  of  the  field  hospital,  and  walked 
away  with  General  Hanbury  -  Williams.  The 
Grand  Duchess  Marie  Pavlovna  assisted  at  the 
ceremony. 

Monday,  To  Liphart's  studio — a  great  portrait  painter — 

May  29.  D.  where  ^  QranJ  Duchess  was  sitting  for  her  picture, 
which  is  to  hang  permanently  at  the  Academy. 
He  told  me  his  son  was  in  the  Russian  Mission  in 
London.  It  was  he  who  was  sent  from  London  to 
Paris  to  announce  the  confirmation  of  my  Admiralty 
order  telegraphed  by  the  Emperor's  command. 
Tuesday,  Heard  under  seal  of  secrecy  that  O'Beirne  was 

May  30.  D.  comjng  ^^  Lorcl  Kitchener.  From  England  had 
also  heard  of  their  intended  departure,  but  con- 
sidered myself  still  under  the  seal.  To-night  at 
dinner  I  met  several  friends  of  O'Beirne,  who  was 
simply  worshipped  by  all  classes  of  society  in 
Russia  during  his  nine  years  at  the  Embassy. 
To  one  of  the  ladies  I  said  I  would  tell  her  fortune 
if  she  would  cut  the  cards.  Whatever  she  cut 
I  intended  to  say  that  a  great  friend  was  coming 
to  see  her.  She  cut  "  an  unmarried  man"  "  a 
journey"  "an  accident"  and  "  death"  But  I  only 
said  a  friend  was  making  a  journey  to  see  her  ; 
nobody  guessed  who  it  could  be.  There  was  then 
in  Petrograd  no  idea  of  any  English  Mission 
coming. 

Monday,  To  the  Embassy,  to  speak  to  His   Excellency 

June  5.    D.  akout  an  American  loan  offered  to  Russia  by  the 

National  City  Bank,  which  had  got  hung  up  and 

seemed  more  than  likely  to  fall  through.     Without 

hesitation  he  said  he  would  do  all  he  could  for  it. 


AMERICAN  FINANCES  IN  PETROGRAD  63 

The  Bank  representatives  who  had  come  from 
New  York  wanted  him  to  say  a  word  to  Sazonov. 
The  matter  was  in  the  hands  of  Bark,  Minister  of 
Finance. 

Returned  to  the  hotel  to  tell  the  financiers,  who 
asked  if  I  thought  the  Ambassador  would  receive 
them  before  speaking  to  Sazonov.  I  immediately 
wrote  to  him  and  took  the  letter  myself. 

To  dinner  with  the  Grand  Duchess,  who  broke 
to  me  that  her  Red  Cross  train  was  too  full  to  take 
me  to  the  Front,  as  promised. 

Met  the  Ambassador  on  the  quay.  He  stopped  Tuesday, 
me  and  said  he  had  seen  the  financiers  and  agreed  Ju 
with  all  they  said,  and  had  laid  the  position  before 
Sazonov,  who  was  going  that  night  to  Stavka. 
At  the  hotel  dined  on  the  roof  with  the  Americans, 
and  afterwards  went  to  their  apartments  to  play 
bridge.  I  was  playing  the  hand  when  I  was  called 
to  the  telephone  from  the  Embassy.  My  partner 
answered.  When  I  had  made  "  grand  slam " 
I  went  to  the  telephone  and  was  told  the  appalling 
news  of  the  death  of  Lord  Kitchener  and  everybody 
with  him  on  board.  My  knees  gave  way  beneath 
me  :  I  collapsed. 

Before  going  to  the  Grand  Duchess,  who  had  Wednesday, 
telephoned  me  to  come  to  luncheon,  looked  in  at   *u  e  7' 
the    Embassy,    but    there    was    no    further   news. 
Afterwards  she  went  to  see  the  Empress  Alexandra 
at  Tsarskoe  before  leaving  at  night  for  the  Front. 

During  the  day  all  Petrograd  passed  by  the 
Embassy  for  any  news  of  O'Beirne. 

Decided  to  spend  four  days  on  the  Volga  to  rest. 


64 


RUSSIAN  DIARY 


1916 


Thursday, 
June  8. 
L.  to  Sir 

George 
A  rthur. 


Saturday, 
June  10.  D. 
Sunday, 
June  ii.  D. 


Great  anger  here  at  such  valuable  lives  being  risked 
with  apparently  no  precautions. 

Yesterday  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  talked  a  great 
deal  about  Lord  Kitchener  and  England.  She 
charged  me  to  tell  you  how  deeply  she  felt  for  you. 
I  fully  realise  the  immensity  of  your  grief  and  the 
magnitude  of  your  loss. 

It  is  a  terrible  tragedy  for  Russia  that  the  great 
man  was  never  to  get  here.  He  would  have  been 
invaluable  to  everybody,  from  the  Emperor  to  the 
raw  recruit. 

The  recruits  of  May  I  have  come  in  and  are 
settling  down.  The  streets  again  are  full  of  sections 
drilling  at  various  stages  ;  every  drill-hall  is  over- 
flowing. The  men  are  much  finer  than  those  of  last 
October,  which  is  accounted  for  by  twenty-two 
months  of  "  No  alcohol."  I  constantly  pass  before 
the  barracks  of  the  Pavlovski  Guards — "  snub- 
noses  "  —founded  by  the  Emperor  Paul,  who  had 
hardly  any  nose  !  Magnificent  men,  but  the  tallest 
are  kept  for  the  Preobrajenski  Guards — first  regi- 
ment in  the  Russian  Army.  They  are  now  learning 
to  march  with  their  long  stride,  to  pout  out  their 
chests,  and  to  salute  with  the  chin  in  the  air. 
The  Russian  soldier  is  a  simple,  earnest  creature, 
born  to  be  commanded ;  when  properly  led, 
invincible — not  only  because  of  his  great  personal 
bravery,  but  because  his  individuality  is  merged  in 
that  of  his  commander. 

To  Nicolai  station  for  Rebinsk. 

REBINSK-ON-THE-VOLGA.  At  a  wayside  station 
heard  the  heart-rending  cries  of  a  young  peasant- 


VOYAGE  ON  THE  VOLGA  65 

woman  seeing  off  her  soldier  husband.  The  uncon-  1 916 
trolled  cries  of  the  people  recall  animals  separated 
from  their  young.  Drove  straight  to  the  steamer 
office,  got  my  cabin  key,  and  went  on  board.  Up 
stream  to  Yaroslav,  which,  standing  on  its  white 
cliffs,  with  its  classical  church  embedded  in  trees, 
commands  one  of  the  most  beautiful  reaches  of  the 
Volga. 

NIJNI  NOVGOROD.     Arrived  at  3  p.m.  and  visited  Monday, 
the    Kremlin    and    cathedral   with    its    wonderful  June  I2-  D- 
ancient  icons,  and  left  at  night.     From  my  cabin 
could  hear  the  nightingales   singing  as  we  went 
along.     Bright  moonlight. 

VOLGA.     River  really  rough  with  strong  head-  Tuesday, 
wind  ;    some  people  ill.     Cloudless  sky.     At  every  *u 
landing-stage    children    were    offering    armsful    of 
lilies  of  the  valley  for  almost  nothing.     From  a  big 
monastery  on  the  bank  large  crowds  of  Whitsuntide 
pilgrims  came  on  board.     Arrived  Kasan  at  6  p.m. 
Left  steamer  and  drove  to  hotel. 

KASAN.  In  the  morning  visited  the  Kremlin,  Wednesday, 
the  cathedral,  and  the  monastery  from  which  the  June  I4>  D' 
celebrated  icon  of  the  Virgin  was  taken  by  Peter 
the  Great  to  Petersburg.  In  the  afternoon  to  see 
the  Tartar  quarter  and  the  mosques.  At  night 
drove  to  the  steamer-pier,  three  miles  over  the 
plain  at  the  foot  of  the  town,  which  is  covered 
with  water  when  the  ice  melts.  Left  at  mid- 
night up  stream.  "  Mother  Volga  "  is  too 
beautiful  for  words — one  of  the  few  things 
in  my  life  I  have  really  found  better  than  I 
expected. 


66  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  NIJNI  NOVGOROD.     A  picturesque  town  of  old 

e.  D.  wooden  houses  amidst  gardens  on  the  side  of  wooded 
cliffs.  To  reach  the  Moscow  station  one  has  to 
cross  a  tributary  river  by  ferry.  A  sudden  tempest 
with  drenching  rain  prevented  the  ferry-boat  from 
making  the  opposite  pier.  It  was  only  after  five 
"  tries  "  that  we  managed  to  get  alongside.  People 
on  the  boat  much  alarmed,  except  a  little  nine- 
year-old  girl  with  long  golden  hair,  whom  I  sheltered 
inside  my  waterproof ;  she  laughed  at  the  panic 
and  the  storm.  I  carried  her  off  the  boat  and  she 
kissed  me. 

Station  situated  in  the  quarter  where  the  annual 
fair  takes  place.  Busy  building  going  on  for  the 
fair.  Wherever  train  stopped,  mushrooms,  lilies 
of  the  valley,  and  nightingales. 

Sunday,  PETROGRAD.     Arrived  from  Moscow  this  morning. 

June  i  .     .  To-night  American  loan  signed. 

Friday,  Walking  down  the  Nevski  I  overtook  a  religious 

June  23.  D.  procession  'm  the  midst  of  the  trams  and  traffic. 

Who  should  be  out  for  a  walk  but  the  icon  of  the 

Kasan  Virgin,  who  lives  in  the  Kasan  Cathedral, 

accompanied   by   her  own   metropolitan  with  his 

walking-stick.      I   followed   her   into   her   church, 

and  saw  her  popped  into  her  frame  again.      She 

has  a  huge  emerald  on  her  chest,  and  a  diamond 

crown. 

No  service  to-day  at  the  Grand  Duchess's  church. 

She  is  the  head  of  the  Pompiers  ;  it  is  their  annual 

review,  so  hears  Mass  with  them — I  go  to  luncheon. 

Tuesday,  Sazonov  is  settled  in  the  big  palace  at  Tsarskoe 

June  27.  D.  £or  ^  summer>     Letter  from  Buckingham  Palace 


THE  TZESAREVICH  IN  STAVKA       67 

thanking  me  for  the  complete  series  of  War  Loan        1916 
picture  placards. 

Princess  Orlov  had  luncheon  with  me  at  Felicien's. 
Afterwards  in  glorious  weather  we  walked  to 
Kristovski  to  see  Prince  Belosselski,  her  father,  who 
showed  me  his  wonderful  collection  of  pictures, 
buhl,  and  objets  d'art. 

TSARSKOE  SELO.     Moved  here  yesterday  to  pass  Sunday, 
the  summer  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir.  July  2-     >' 

To  the  Emperor's  church ;  the  Empress  and 
daughters  were  there.  The  dear  little  boy  is  away 
at  Stavka  with  the  Emperor.  His  Swiss  tutor  is 
with  him,  and  he  does  his  lessons  on  the  veranda 
—sometimes  !  There  is  also  a  good  deal  of  boating, 
rowing,  and  picnics — perhaps  just  a  little  too 
much. 

TSARSKOE     SELO.     Motored    with     the     Grand  Friday, 
Duchess   to    Petrograd — her   weekly   visit   to   her  July7* 
committees.     She  received  the  American  financiers, 
whom   I   took   to   see   her.     Sazonov   dined.     He 
promised  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  further  a  matter 
I  was  interested  in.     Alluding  to  Lord  Kitchener 
he  said,  "  Really  England  is  too  careless  of  her 
great  men's  lives." 

TSARSKOE    SELO.     Drove     after     luncheon    to  Wednesday, 
Grand   Duke    Boris,    and   motored   with   him    to  ^uly  I2* 
Terrijoki,  in  Finland,  to  stay  with  General  Nostitz. 
A  lovely  dacha  (villa)  in  the  midst  of  pine-trees  and 
birches,  with  lawns  and  flowers  down  to  the  sea. 
Kronstadt    in    the    distance.     Down    the    avenue 
the  full  moon  rose  across  the  sea,  whilst  we  were 
dining  in  the  veranda. 


68  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  TERRIJOKI.     Yesterday  we  all  went  for  a  picnic 

D.  m  boats  up  the  Black  River.  A  miniature  Maiden- 
head Reach.  River  full  of  trout  and  salmon. 
Tea  on  the  bank.  To-day  motored  back  to  Tsarskoe 
with  Grand  Duke  Boris.  Passing  Petrograd  race- 
course, went  into  Imperial  box  for  two  races.  On 
Tsarskoe  road  stopped  for  the  Grand  Duke  to 
speak  to  Countess  Brassov,  wife  of  Grand  Duke 
Michael. 

Tuesday,  TSARSKOE  SELO.     In  the  afternoon  motored  to 

July  18.  D.  Petrograd  wjth  the  Grand  Duchess  to  the  Admiralty 

Pier.     A   steam-launch  was  waiting   to   take   her 

down  the  river  to  the  harbour  of  Vassili  Ostrov, 

where   she   landed   to   inspect   an   enormous   tent 

made  by  sailors  for  one  of  the  thirteen  organisations. 

On  the  island  are  two  little  houses  of  the  time  of 

Peter  the  Great.     It  was  here  that  he  had  his  galleys 

built.    We  visited  two  galleys — one  built  in  the  time 

of  Catherine  II,  the  other  in  that  of  Alexander  I. 

Friday,  TSARSKOE   SELO.     Due  de  Luynes,  Marquis  de 

July  21.      .  j?jers>  on  their  way  to  Rumania,  and  Chambrun 

of  the  French  Embassy  dined.     Prince  Nicolas  of 

Greece  arrived  at  II. 

Monday,  TSARSKOE    SELO.     We   all  went   to   the   Grand 

July  24.  .  j)uke  paui's  palace  for  tea  in  the  garden.  In  the 
large  drawing-room  the  two  little  girls  of  the 
Princess  Palei  acted  a  play  in  blank  verse,  written 
by  their  brother  in  French.  The  piece  was  delightful 
and  beautifully  acted. 

Friday,  TSARSKOE  SELO.     St.  Mary  Magdalen.     At  lun- 

Aug.  4.    D.  c]-ieon  forty  converts.     Left  afterwards  for  Petrograd 

about   passport,  so  missed  meeting   Empress  and 


JOURNEY  TO  ENGLAND  69 

her  daughters.     Returned  for  dinner.     The  Grand        1916 
Duchess  received  me  in  her  cabinet  de  travail  to 
wish  me  bon  voyage. 

PETROGRAD.     Came  up  last  night.    Havery,  the  Saturday, 
Embassy  Messenger,  fetched  me  6.30  a.m.     Picked  J 
up  the  bags  at  the  Embassy  and  left  for  England. 

TORNEO.     Found  my  Customs  friend  most  civil.  Sunday, 
He  sent  everything  to   the   river  steamer  without  1 
examination.     Met    Bark,    Minister    of     Finance, 
with  General  Waters,  just  returning  from  London. 
In  Finland  railway-stations,  on  paying  for   one's 
luncheon,  one  is  handed  knife,  fork,  napkin,  plate, 
etc.,  and  eats  as  much  as  one  likes  ! 

BERGEN.  Steamer  left  half  an  hour  late,  because  Thursday, 
Mrs.  Leverton  Harris  had  lost  her  luggage.  Sleep-  ug' I0'  ' 
ing  on  deck  after  luncheon,  before  leaving  the 
fjords  for  the  open  sea,  was  sent  for  by  Captain. 
He  expected  the  steamer  to  be  stopped  by  German 
submarines,  and  said  the  F.O.  bags  ought  to  be 
weighted.  The  ship's  carpenter  put  iron  into  the 
coulisses  of  the  bags  and  deposited  them  on  deck 
handy  to  throw  overboard.  Ship  stopped  sud- 
denly in  the  night.  Rushed  on  deck  and  found 
only  a  sea-fog.  Arrived  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne. 


PETROGRAD  [on  Ms  return  from  England].    Train  Sunday, 
arrived  punctually.  Sept*  *4* D- 

Holy  Cross  Day.     To  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  evening  Tuesday, 
service  at  Feodorovski  Sobor,  which  so  impressed  me  Sept<  26>  D' 
last  year.     The  Empress  and  four  daughters  were 
there. 


yo  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  First  snow.     Last  night  to  British  Colony  Hos- 

Oct.  i.  D.  pital  f°r  excellent  performance  given  before  the 
Ambassador  by  English  submarine  sailors  from 
Reval ;  laughed  immoderately. 

Thursday,         Heard  of  the   death  of  my  old   friend,  Alexis 

Oct.  5.    D.   Qrlov,    in    Paris.    To    Narodnie    Dom    (People's 

Palace)  to  first  performance  of  a  new  opera  brought 

from  Moscow.     Lovely  music,  ballet,  and  mise  en 

scene  ;   Russian  historic  subject. 

Grand  Duke  Boris  telephoned  from  Tsarskoe 
that  his  automobile  would  fetch  me  to-morrow 
midday.  1  have  a  petition  to  give  him  for  the 
Emperor. 

Wednesday  First  frost.  24°  Fahrenheit.  It  is  quite  true 
about  Serge  Obolenski.  He  marries  Princess  Baria- 
tinski,  the  youngest  morganatic  child  of  the  Em- 
press Alexander  II.  She  is  very  beautiful ;  all  the 
mothers  of  marriageable  daughters  are  furious. 
The  deaths  of  Alexis  OrlofI  and  Prince  Abamelek 
have  given  us  all  much  to  talk  about  as  they  were 
both  very  rich.  I  used  to  stay  with  Alexis  in  Paris. 
His  mad  dog  bit  me. 

Friday,  To   the    Polovtsov's   house   on    the   islands   for 

Oct.  20.  D.  luncheon^  where  I  sat  next  to  the  Grand  Duchess 
Vladimir  and  took  leave  of  her  before  starting  for 
Paris  to-morrow.  A  house  of  the  time  of  Alexan- 
der I -^furniture  and  objets  <Tart  of  that  epoch— all 
in  the  best  of  taste. 

Saturday,          Havery  fetched  me  at  6.30,  and  took  me  to  the 

Oct.  21.  D.  statjon   for    paris>     General   Waters   and   Captain 

MacCaw  in  train.     MacCaw  was  certainly  the  best 

and  neatest  travelling  companion  I  have  ever  had 


AT  TORNEO  71 

the  pleasure  of  finding  myself  with.     He  was  most        1916 
entertaining,  with  lots  of  Stavka  stories. 


TORNEO.  River  frozen — enough  to  stop  naviga-  Sunday, 
tion  but  not  to  bear  sledges.  No  bother  with  Oct* 22'  D' 
Customs.  Etter,  brother  of  the  Grand  Duchess's 
equerry,  and  head  of  the  committee  for  the  recep- 
tion of  Russian  wounded  prisoners  from  Germany, 
took  me  and  MacCaw  over  the  huts,  where  the 
Russians  pass  the  night  before  leaving  for  Petro- 
grad.  Splendidly  organised,  with  chapel,  baths, 
and  dining-rooms.  Then  to  the  island  in  the  river 
to  the  German  huts.  The  same  excellent  organi- 
sation. A  German  prisoner,  too  ill  to  be  included 
in  the  last  two  convoys,  told  me  he  was  most 
comfortable  and  well  looked  after.  At  the  top  of 
the  church  tower  is  a  small  window  which  a  king 
of  Sweden  had  opened  to  see  the  Midnight  Sun, 
being  only  fifteen  miles  from  the  Arctic  Circle. 


NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE  [on  return  journey  to  Petro-  Sunday, 
grad\.      After   a    last    fried   sole,    rumbled    in '  a  Nov- I9   Dt 
tumble-down  vehicle  down   the  steep  and  totally 
unlit  streets,  in  a  terrific  gale,  to  the  wharf,  and 
got  on  board  at  10  p.m. 

Woke  up  at  6.50  a.m.  and  found  we  were  still 
alongside  the  wharf.  Blowing  big  guns.  At  7.30 
we  started,  and  I  dressed  so  as  to  be  ready  to  go 
on  deck  as  soon  as  we  had  got  out  to  sea,  for  on 
the  Tyne  it  is  forbidden  for  passengers  to  go  on 


72  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  deck.  From  windows  of  deck  saloon  saw  we  were 
following  the  Christiania  weekly  mailboat,  Bessheim, 
on  which  I  had  crossed  in  September.  The  gale 
increased  as  we  approached  the  sea.  Saw  the 
Bessheim  in  difficulties  outside.  She  suddenly 
turned  round  and  heeled  over,  her  stern  being  on 
the  rocks.  Big  seas  broke  over  her.  We  returned 
up  stream  and  moored  alongside  another  steamer. 
We  were  not  allowed  on  deck  all  day.  Captain 
gave  me  no  hopes  of  leaving  before  to-morrow 
midday  at  earliest.  This  entailed  my  losing  my 
compartments  reserved  everywhere  for  the  direct 
journey  to  Petrograd.  At  5  o'clock  a  Customs  tug 
came  alongside.  I  asked  them  to  telephone  the 
authorities  if  I  might  come  ashore.  They  returned 
with  the  permission  at  7  p.m.  I  left  immediately 
with  them,  sliding  in  pitch-darkness  down  a  rope- 
ladder  in  a  Russian  fur  coat  and  pot-hat  into  what 
seemed  a  bottomless  gulf.  Landed  with  difficulty 
at  North  Shields  pier,  took  an  electric  train  to 
Newcastle,  and  arrived  in  London  next  morning. 

Saturday,          Re-embarked  at  Newcastle-on-Tyne,  after  dinner 
ov' 25'     '  with  my  Canadian  flying  friend  Lancelot  Duke, 
at  10  p.m.  for  Bergen.     Terrible  crossing. 

Saturday,          HAP  AR  AN  DA.     Met  with  the  usual  and  persistent 
ec.  2.    D.    cjvjijtv  from  the  Swedish  authorities,  who,  every 
time  I  have  passed  through,  have  always  been  more 
than  courteous. 

Sunday,  Arrived  Petrograd. 

M^d3     D        ^°  ca^  on  t^ie  Ambassador  and  Lady  Georgina 

Dec.  4.  '  D.   then    to    the    Grand    Duchess    Vladimir's    palace. 
Knowing  it  was  a  saint's  day,  found  her  at  service 


AT  THE  KASAN  CATHEDRAL          73 
where   she  was   much   surprised   to   see   me.    To        1916 
luncheon  afterwards.     Neva  not  frozen.  Dec/ia.  *%'. 

Heard  on  the  highest  authority  from  an  Allied 
Embassy  that  Germany  has  made  a  categorical 
offer  of  peace.  This  was  confirmed  later  by  an 
equally  eminent  authority.  The  Neva  frozen  over. 

After  service  at  the  Grand  Duchess's  church  we  Sunday, 
were  thirty-seven  at  luncheon.     Grand  Duke  Boris,  3 
back  from  Persia,  was  there.    Dined  with  the  Grand 
Duchess,  who  read  me  a  most  pitiful  letter  just 
come  from  the  Queen  of  Rumania,  and  afterwards 
talked    most   interestingly   of   her    relations    with 
Prussia,  as  a  Princess  of  Mecklenburg.     Deep  snow  ; 
first  sledges  out  this  evening. 

On  foot  to  the  Kasan  church,  where  Te  Deum  Tuesday, 
was   sung   for  the  Emperor's  name-day.     All  the  Dec-  *9-  D- 
Embassies  and  the  official  world  were  present.     I 
was  allowed  to  enter,  being  known  by  the  Secret 
Police.       Hearing    of    the    return    of    the    Grand 
Duke  Dmitri  from  the  Front,  wrote  my  name  on 
him.    Dined  at  the  Embassy — only  English  people. 

Went  on  to  supper  at  Schubine's,  where  I  found— 
amongst  many  friends — the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri. 
I  had  not  seen  him  for  many  months.  He  called 
me  aside  into  another  room,  where  he  discussed 
with  me  at  great  length  the  whole  internal  political 
situation.  Having  had  knowledge  both  of  my 
loyalty  and  discretion,  he  confided  to  me  the  steps 
he  thought  must  be  taken  to  arrest  the  continued 
reactionary  policy  of  the  Empress,  into  which  she 
was  dragging  the  Emperor  ;  and  how  imperative 
was  the  removal  of  evil  counsellors. 


74  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  Luncheon  with  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  to  see  his 

Wednesday,  T  -,  i      n  r 

Dec  20.  D    apartment,    rearranged    on    the    ground    floor    of 

his    palace.      At    midnight    returned     to    supper 
there. 

Friday,  Strange  things  are  happening  here  :  the  Emperor 

ec-22'  •  has  exiled  Princess  Vassiltchikov,  a  lady  of  high 
birth,  for  writing  to  the  Empress  !  Are  we  back 
in  Peter  the  Great's  reign  ?  Where  will  it  all  end  ? 
I  have  been  warned  of  a  drama  which  may  soon 
happen.  But  I  dare  not  breathe  a  word.  Even 
my  frequent  visits  to  Europe  might  count  against 
me  ! 

Monday,  At  luncheon  at  Donon's,  Savinski  talked  till  half- 

Dec.  25.  D.  past  three  on  the  general  unrest  which  prevails  ; 
then  we  walked  to  the  Foreign  Office.  Christmas 
dinner  at  the  Embassy ;  charades.  I  told  the 
Ambassador  of  the  departure  of  the  Empress  for 
the  Front. 

Wednesday,  Moscow.  Arrived  at  10.20  this  morning.  Lun- 
Dec.  27.  D.  cjieon  at  Madam  Olive's,  with  Princess  Susie 
Belosselski  and  her  little  boy.  With  them  to  the 
celebrated  old  convent  in  which  Peter  the  Great 
had  his  half-sister  Sophie  shut  up,  and  where  the 
nuns  make  a  speciality  of  embroidery.  To  the 
Th6atre  des  Arts,  Tsar  Feodor  Ivanovich — marvel- 
lously mounted  and  beautifully  played. 

Saturday,  PETROGRAD.  About  5  p.m.  was  asleep,  when 
ec.  30.  .  geymour  came.  A  friend  in  the  police,  whom  he 
met  in  the  street,  told  him  Rasputin  had  been  shot 
three  times  by  Felix  Yusupov.  He  did  not  know 
if  Rasputin  was  dead.  I  telephoned  to  the  Embassy 
but  Lady  Georgina  was  out.  She  rang  me  up  at 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  RASPUTIN       75 

5.40  to  say  she  had  just  heard  the  report.  Mean-  1916 
while  I  had  already  written  to  the  Grand  Duchess 
Vladimir.  In  the  hotel  the  rumour  was  generally 
known  by  7.15.  To  the  French  theatre,  where  in 
the  Imperial  box  were  the  Grand  Dukes  Boris  and 
Dmitri.  A  cousin  of  Felix  Yusupov's  was  there, 
but  knew  nothing.  Nobody  knows  anything  defi- 
nite. It  looks  as  if  the  warning  I  received  on 
December  19  of  a  tragic  denouement  before  December 
31  had  come  true. 

Glorious  weather :  —  2°  Fahrenheit.  When  I  Sunday, 
kissed  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's  hand  after 
Mass  I  said,  "  To-day  even  the  sun  is  shining,"  but 
she  replied,  "We  are  not  yet  sure  of  the  fact." 
We  were  thirty-four  to  luncheon  ;  the  three  Grand 
Dukes,  her  sons,  also.  Grand  Duke  Andre  has 
just  come  back  from  the  Front  after  two  months' 
absence. 

Nothing  definite  known  yet ;  many  stories,  but 
all  ending  in  the  same  way — that  Rasputin  had 
disappeared. 

I  left  at  1.16  p.m.  on  foot  for  the  Embassy  : 
brilliant  sunshine,  in  which  the  red  Embassy  was 
glowing.  I  found  the  Ambassador,  Lady  Georgina, 
Miss  Meriel,  General  Hanbury- Williams,  and  Colonel 
Burn,  who  had  brought  the  bag.  I  told  them  all 
I  had  heard  about  Rasputin's  disappearance.  I 
also  told  the  General  that  I  had  written  home  ten 
days  ago  that  the  political  situation  would  end  in 
a  tragic  denouement.  Whilst  we  were  talking,  there 
was  brought  in  a  copy  of  the  Police  Report  *  with 
*  See  Appendix  III, 


76  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  the  different  arrivals,  departures,  and  police  calls 
at  the  Yusupov  Palace  that  night. 

Every  one  went  away  and  I  sat  with  Lady 
Georgina  in  the  corner  drawing-room.  Lady  Sybil 
Grey  called  ;  she  said  that  Felix  Yusupov  had 
been  on  Saturday  afternoon  to  the  Anglo-Russian 
Hospital — which  occupies  the  first  floor  of  the 
Dmitri  Palace — with  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri,  to 
have  a  fish-bone  taken  out  of  his  throat.  This 
was  the  first  definite  news  of  Felix  Yusupov  since 
the  rumours  of  the  murder.  To  inquiries  at  the 
Yusupov  Palace  the  answer  all  day  had  been  that 
he  had  left  for  the  Crimea. 

From  the  Embassy  I  drove  back  directly  to  the 
Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's  palace  and  asked  to  see 
her.  I  was  shown  in  immediately.  She  was  in 
the  late  Grand  Duke  Vladimir's  cabinet  de  travail 
on  the  ground  floor,  where  during  the  war  she 
always  dines  and  sits  after  dinner.  I  told  her  all 
I  could  remember  of  the  Police  Report,  and  then 
she  told  me  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Pavlovich 
had  been  put  under  arrest — an  unheard-of  thing, 
for  since  the  murder  of  the  Emperor  Paul  (1801) 
no  Grand  Duke  has  ever  been  put  under  arrest  on 
a  grave  charge,  and  on  that  occasion  the  Emperor 
Paul  lost  his  life  for  only  threatening  it. 

I  went  back  to  the  Embassy  and  went  straight 
up  to  Lady  Georgina  without  being  announced. 
She  was  alone,  and  I  asked  whether  I  might  speak 
to  the  Ambassador.  She  took  me  to  his  room  and 
he  saw  me  at  once.  I  told  him  of  the  Grand  Duke 
Pmitri's  arrest  and  that  Felix  Yusupov  had  tele- 


GRAND  DUKE  DMITRI  AND  RASPUTIN  77 

phoned  to  the  Grand  Duchess  from  the  Dmitri        1916 
Palace,  "  //  y  a  un  malentendu" 

His  Excellency  was  much  impressed  by  the  news 
and  began  to  write  his  dispatch.  I  asked  him 
whether  I  might  take  the  Police  Report  to  the 
Grand  Duchess.  He  said,  "  Certainly,  but  bring 
it  back  at  once."  I  then  drove  back  to  the  Grand 
Duchess's  palace  and  went  in  at  once  to  her  room. 
She  read  the  document  out  aloud  :  nobody  was 
there  but  I. 

When  I  again  got  back  to  the  Embassy  I  went 
straight  up  to  the  Ambassador's  room  and  handed 
him  back  the  document.  He  left  the  room  at  the 
same  time  as  I  did,  going  downstairs  with  his 
dispatch  to  the  Chancery.  Going  out  I  met  Bruce 
in  the  hall,  to  whom  I  announced  the  Grand  Duke's 
arrest.  The  Ambassador,  before  I  left,  asked  me, 
if  I  heard  any  more  news,  to  let  him  know.  As  I 
was  dining  at  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's,  who 
always  retired  at  10,  I  said  I  would  telephone 
anything  of  importance. 

Wore  my  schuba  for  the  first  time 5°  Fahren- 
heit— and  my  clothes  were  covered  with  fur. 
Whilst  I  was  being  brushed  in  the  antechamber 
the  Grand  Duke  Boris  came  in,  and  we  went 
together  into  the  cabinet  de  travail^  where  the  Grand 
Duchess  was  sitting  at  her  writing-table.  We  sat 
down  to  dinner  at  once,  as  he  was  going  to  the 
ballet.  The  Grand  Duchess  then  said,  "  I  tele- 
phoned to  Dmitri  Pavlovich,  and  a  strange  voice 
first  answered  me  in  English  ;  then  he  himself  spoke 
to  me.  He  swore  that  he  knew  nothing  about  the 


78  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1916  Rasputin  affair  ;  that  he  had  left  the  supper  at  4. 
This  was  in  reply  to  the  Grand  Duchess  having  told 
him  that  her  sons  were  outraged  at  the  thought  of 
his  being  under  arrest.  He  then  said  it  was  the 
Empress  who  had  sent  a  General  to  put  him  under 
arrest ;  that  the  General  apologised  for  having  to 
do  an  act  which  was  not  strictly  en  regie,  but  he 
"  hoped  the  Grand  Duke  would  submit."  He  also 
said  that  the  Emperor  was  to  arrive  at  Tsarskoe 
to-morrow,  and  declared  that  he  meant  to  "  raise 
hell." 

During  dinner  we  were  all  petrified  by  the  Grand 
Duke  Dmitri's  denying  all  knowledge  of  the  affair, 
and  saying  that,  although  he  had  been  to  supper 
there,  he  had  left  before  4. 

When  the  Grand  Duke  Boris  left  to  go  to  the 
ballet  I  went  on  foot  to  the  Embassy.  As  it  was 
early  I  thought  I  would  go  in  person  instead  of 
telephoning.  There  were  lights  on  the  Embassy 
staircase,  so  I  asked  if  I  could  see  Lady  Georgina, 
and  was  shown  up  to  the  Ambassador's  bedroom  ; 
he  was  just  going  to  undress.  I  told  him  of  the 
Grand  Duke  Dmitri's  absolute  denial  of  any  share 
in  the  murder— which,  after  all,  is  only  natural, 
though  he  swore  it  on  his  own  icon.  If  all  the 
conspirators  acknowledged  their  complicity  on  the 
telephone  to  their  friends  and  relations  it  might 
be  disastrous  to  the  actual  perpetrator  or  to  the 
whole  lot. 

I  found  the  Ambassador  very  much  perturbed 
and  tired  ;  he  had  been  confined  to  his  bedroom 
for  a  week.  He  walked  up  and  down  the  room  ; 


CONCERNING  RASPUTIN'S  DEATH     79 

I  sat  by  the  fire.  I  wished  the  Ambassador  "  Good  1916 
night  "  and  went  and  sat  with  Lady  Georgina  in  her 
sitting-room.  It  was  then  10.30.  She  was  called 
to  the  telephone  by  Mrs.  Beringer,  wife  of  the 
Reuter  correspondent,  but  he  spoke  to  her.  The 
only  news  he  gave  was  that  the  police  of  the  district 
where  Rasputin  lived  had  seen  an  automobile  go 
to  his  house  about  4  a.m.,  fetch  him  and  take  him 
away.  This  is  the  first  actual  news  I  had  heard 
of  the  arrival  of  Rasputin  at  the  Yusupov  Palace, 
or  rather  of  his  departure  to  arrive  there. 


NINETEEN  SEVENTEEN 


NINETEEN  SEVENTEEN 

I  HAVE  got  such  awful  rheumatism  in  both  1917 
arms  and  both  hands  I  can  hardly  hold  a  T^s ^ay' 
pen.  to  the 

Rasputin  was  killed  in  the  Yusupov  Palace  about 
7  a.m.  Saturday,  December  31.  There  were  present 
Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Pavlovich,  Felix  Yusupov,  and 
a  Conservative  member  of  the  Duma,  and  two  lady 
friends  of  Rasputin,  who  left,  protesting,  at  4  a.m., 
so  the  man  had  an  agony  of  three  hours.  All  this 
is  from  the  Police  Report  which  I  have  got.  I 
happened  to  be  in  the  very  storm-centre.  Grand 
Duke  Dmitri  was  arrested  by  order  of  the  Empress— 
illegally,  but  he  submitted,  as  it  gives  him  a  card 
in  his  hand.  The  Emperor  arrived  post-haste  last 
night  from  Stavka.  I  have  written  minutely  in 
my  diary  every  detail. 

THE  TRUE  AND  AUTHENTIC  STORY  OF  THE  MURDER 
OF  GREGORY  RASPUTIN,  AS  RECOUNTED  TO 
ME  ON  JUNE  6,  1917,  AT  YALTA  BY  THE 
PERPETRATOR 

PRINCE  FELIX  YUSUPOV  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  notorious  Gregory  Rasputin  because  he  was 
convinced  that  the  removal  of  this  man  was  abso- 

83 


84  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  lutely  essential  for  the  safety  of  Russia.  The 
scene  of  the  Rasputin  tragedy  was  the  Palace 
Yusupov,  a  long  building  with  twenty-six  windows 
on  each  floor,  overlooking  the  Moika  Canal.  The 
apartments  on  the  ground  floor,  which  the  Prince's 
parents  had  given  to  him  and  his  wife,  had  been 
in  process  of  redecoration  since  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  In  the  meantime  they  were  using  as  a 
sitting-room  the  extreme  corner  room  on  the 
ground  floor  at  the  left  end  of  the  palace,  as  seen 
from  the  street ;  and  beneath  it  in  the  basement 
had  been  arranged  a  dining-room,  in  which  were 
placed  several  Italian  sixteenth-century  cabinets 
and  objets  d?art  of  the  same  period.  From  the 
sitting-room  on  the  ground  floor  a  narrow  staircase 
leads  to  the  dining-room  in  the  basement.  At 
the  sixth  step  from  the  top  of  the  staircase,  on 
the  left,  a  small  door  opens  into  the  cobbled  fore- 
court of  the  house  adjoining.  This  house  also 
belongs  to  the  Yusupov  family,  and  its  forecourt  has 
trees  planted  along  a  wooden  palisade  which  borders 
the  Moika  Quay  overlooking  the  Moika  Canal. 

The  deed  was  definitely  planned  to  take  place 
before  Friday,  December  29,  1916,  because  Felix 
Yusupov  was  to  leave  next  day  with  his  two 
young  brothers-in-law,  to  join  his  wife  and  spend 
Christmas  in  the  Crimea  with  her  family.  On 
the  fatal  night  there  was  no  "  supper-party." 
Felix  Yusupov  went  himself  to  fetch  Rasputin — 
who  had  never  before  set  foot  in  the  Yusupov 
Palace — and  only  with  great  difficulty  persuaded 
him  to  come  home  with  him  and  talk  over  the 


RASPUTIN  AT  YUSUPOV  PALACE      85 

political  situation.    On  their  arrival  the  motor-car        1917 
drove  into  the  forecourt  of  the  adjoining  house. 
They  entered  the  palace  by  the  small  door  and 
immediately  went  down  to  the  dining-room  in  the 
basement. 

The  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  and  M.  Purishkevich, 
a  member  of  the  Duma,  were  at  that  time  in  the 
sitting-room  upstairs  on  the  ground  floor,  and  the 
Police  Report  leaves  no  doubt  that  two  ladies 
were  with  them,  although  neither  they  nor  their 
friends  have  ever  admitted  that  any  ladies  were 
present  in  the  palace  that  night.  Neither  the 
Grand  Duke  Dmitri  nor  M.  Purishkevich  saw 
Rasputin  while  he  was  within  the  palace. 

Arrived  in  the  dining-room,  Felix  Yusupov 
engaged  Rasputin  in  a  long  conversation,  in  the 
course  of  which  the  latter  positively  asserted  that 
the  Empress  Alexandra  Feodorovna  intended  to 
make  herself  Regent  on  January  10  (N.S.). 

Rasputin,  invited  to  refresh  himself,  drank  a 
glass  of  red  wine  in  which  poison  had  been  put. 
Felix  Yusupov  himself  drank  no  wine,  being  a 
total  abstainer.  The  poison  having  been  bought 
some  three  weeks  before,  its  strength  had  appa- 
rently evaporated,  and  it  failed  to  take  immediate 
effect.  There  ensued  an  interminable  wait,  during 
which  the  moujik,  though  he  grew  drowsy  and 
dazed,  did  not  die,  so  Felix  Yusupov  determined, 
as  the  night  was  now  far  advanced,  to  shoot  the 
man  outright.  Accordingly  he  went  upstairs  to 
the  ground  floor  to  borrow  Purishkevich's  revolver. 
Returning  to  the  dining-room  below  with  the 


86  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  weapon  held  behind  his  back,  he  approached 
Rasputin,  who  was  leaning  over  the  supper-table 
half  dazed,  and,  touching  him  on  the  shoulder, 
said,  "  On  the  cabinet  at  the  end  of  the  room  there 
is  a  wonderful  crucifix."  Felix  Yusupov  was  hold- 
ing the  revolver  in  his  left  hand,  but  having  Ras- 
putin now  on  his  right  side,  quickly  transferred 
the  weapon  behind  his  back  to  his  right  hand, 
and  then  shot  Rasputin  at  close  quarters  through 
the  left  side,  below  the  ribs.  The  moujik  reeled 
and  fell  heavily  back  on  a  white  bearskin,  and 
Felix  Yusupov,  believing  he  was  dead,  left  him 
lying  there,  and  went  upstairs  to  join  his  friends 
on  the  ground  floor. 

The  Police  Report  makes  it  evident  that  this 
was  the  moment  when  the  ladies  who  had  been 
entertained  in  the  salon  on  the  ground  floor  were 
persuaded  to  leave  the  palace. 

Felix  Yusupov,  after  a  short  interval,  in  order 
to  make  quite  sure  that  Rasputin  was  dead, 
descended  the  staircase  and  again  entered  the 
dining-room.  Bending  over  the  body,  he  was 
horrified  to  find  that  the  eyes  were  not  only  wide 
open,  but  gleaming  with  tiger-like  fury.  Suddenly 
the  wounded  man  raised  himself  on  his  elbows 
and  struggled  to  his  feet ;  then,  springing  with 
amazing  vitality  on  Felix  Yusupov,  seized  him  by 
the  throat  and  tried  to  strangle  him,  pulling  off 
his  epaulettes  in  the  melee.  Finally  disengaging 
himself,  the  wretched  man  made  off  by  the  stair- 
case with  the  instinct  of  a  wounded  animal  to 
escape  out  of  the  trap  into  which  he  had  fallen. 


MURDER  OF  RASPUTIN  87 

Finding    that    the    door    through    which    he    had        1917 
entered  the  palace  was  unlocked,  he  passed  out 
into   the   forecourt   of   the   adjoining   house,   and 
then  fell  down  exhausted  in  the  snow. 

Meanwhile  Felix  Yusupov  had  rushed  up  the 
staircase  after  him  and  burst  into  the  sitting-room 
to  call  Purishkevich,  who  at  once  came  out  into 
the  forecourt  and  fired  four  shots  at  Rasputin, 
the  number  mentioned  in  the  Police  Report.  Two 
of  these  must  have  missed  their  aim,  as  only  two 
bullets  hit  Rasputin,  one  on  the  back  of  the 
head,  and  the  other  fired  point-blank  at  his 
forehead.  The  lifeless  body  was  picked  up  and 
carried  back  into  the  palace  to  await  the  return 
of  the  motor-car,  in  which,  on  arrival,  it  was 
placed,  driven  rapidly  out  to  Kristovski  Island, 
and  thrown  into  a  hole  in  the  ice  of  the  Little 
Neva. 

Felix  Yusupov  returned  with  the  Grand  Duke 
Dmitri  to  his  palace  in  the  Nevski  and  remained 
there,  the  answer  to  all  subsequent  inquiries  at 
the  Yusupov  Palace  being  that  he  had  "  left  for 
the  Crimea." 

At  the  inquest  subsequently  held  it  was  authorita- 
tively recognised  that  the  shot  fired  in  the  dining- 
room  must  have  been  mortal. 

The  police  have  not  the  right  to  enter  a  house 
where  any  member  of  the  Imperial  family  is 
present. 

All  the  Imperial  Family  are  off  their  heads  at 
the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri's  arrest,  for  even  the 


88  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Emperor  has  not  the  right  to  arrest  his  family.* 
It  has  never  been  done  since  Peter  the  Great  had 
his  son  Alexei  Petrovich  arrested,  and  it  was  for 
threatening  to  arrest  the  Tzesarevich  (Alexander  I) 
that  the  Emperor  Paul  was  killed.f 

Saturday,  Here  we  are  all  expecting  anything  may  happen. 
I  won't  write  you  all  the  gossip,  mostly  founded  on 
lies,  some  on  antiquated  truths.  Dmitri  Pavlovich 
and  Felix  are  kept  under  arrest,  and  when  the 
Grand  Duke  Paul  asked  on  Monday  last  for  his 
son  to  be  allowed  to  come  and  stay  in  his  palace 
at  Tsarskoe  Selo  the  Emperor  replied,  "  The 
Empress  cannot  allow  it  for  the  present  "  ! 

The  Empress-Mother  is  still  at  Kiev  ;  she  ought 
to  be  here,  as  her  son  still  fears  her  a  little  (not 
very  much).  The  Allied  Embassies  would  like  her 
back  in  Petrograd. 

Unluckily  the  bag  goes  out  this  afternoon,  and 
I  shall  only  have  all  the  news  at  dinner  as  it  is  the 
Russian  Christmas  Eve  and  I  dine '  at  the  Grand 
Duchess's.  To-morrow  I  shall  go  to  the  Emperor's 
church  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  see  how  they  are  all 
getting  on  down  there. 

I  have  been  to  leave  a  Christmas  present  for 
Dmitri  Pavlovich.  As  I  arrived  Boris  Golitzin  was 
leaving  the  house.  The  old  butler  had  told  him 

*  The  only  cases  of  the  kind  on  record  are  :  (i)  a  distant 
relative  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  II  robbed  his  mother  of 
her  jewels,  and  (2)  another  youthful  relative  ran  away  with 
a  ballet-dancer  and  was  brought  back  from  the  frontier  and 
reduced  to  the  ranks. 

f  The  Emperor  Paul's  tomb  in  the  Peter-Paul  Fortress  is 
.   always  ablaze  with  tapers,  whilst  that  of  his  son,  believed  by 
the  people  to  be  cognisant  of  his  murder,  has  none. 


DEPORTATION  OF  DMITRI  89 

Dmitri  Pavlovich  had  gone  out,  but  the  house  is  1917 
guarded  and  there  was  a  sentry  inside  the  door. 
Our  Ambassador  is  very  worried.  It  is  real  winter 
and  the  thermometer  varies  between  20°  and  35° 
of  frost  Fahrenheit.  It's  dreadful  having  two  Christ- 
mases  and  two  New  Year's  Days.  My  writing  is 
unreadable  because  my  arms  are  so  bad,  and  until 
the  cold  goes  I  don't  expect  to  get  better. 

I  telegraphed  to  Prince  Putiatin  at  Tsarskoe  to 
know  whether  I  could  hear  Mass  at  Feodorovski 
Sobor  to-morrow,  Christmas  Day,  as  we  who  have 
the  entree  to  the  church  have  to  get  special  per- 
mission for  the  great  feasts. 

At  8  to  dine  with  the  Grand  Duchess.  We  were 
twenty-eight  at  dinner.  I  sat  on  the  left  of  the 
Grand  Duchess  Victoria,  just  returned  from  Ru- 
mania ;  the  three  Grand  Dukes  dined  ;  all  the 
family  looked  very  disturbed.  During  dinner  the 
Grand  Duchess  Victoria  told  me  that  Dmitri 
Pavlovich  had  left  for  Persia. 

After  dinner  we  all  went  into  the  ballroom,  where 
there  was  a  Christmas  tree.  The  Grand  Duchess 
Marie  beckoned  me  to  come  to  her,  and  told  me 
the  events  of  the  day.  She  was  very  much  upset. 
She  told  me  that  Dmitri  Pavlovich  had  been 
deported  at  2  a.m.  that  morning  to  Kasvin,  on 
the  confines  of  the  Empire — the  Persian  border. 
He  had  only  been  told  at  9.30  p.m.,  and  his  carriage 
was  attached  to  a  2.30  a.m.  train.  He  left  under 
arrest.  He  was  accompanied  by  General  Lyman, 
his  military  tutor  from  childhood,  and  by  an  officer 
who  is  responsible  for  his  safe  custody.  This 


90  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  officer  was  obliged,  much  against  his  will,  to  under- 
take the  charge.  His  regiment  surfers  from  the 
insult ;  the  regiment  of  the  Grand  Duke  wished 
also  to  take  active  steps,  but  were  counselled  to  do 
nothing  for  the  moment.  The  Emperor  has  refused 
to  see  the  Grand  Duke  Paul,  his  father.  His  sister 
came  from  Tsarskoe  to  be  with  him.  She  said  that 
he  broke  down  for  a  few  minutes  just  before  leaving. 
Felix  Yusupov  was  sent  from  the  Dmitri  Palace, 
where  he  had  been  under  arrest  since  the  murder, 
to  a  country  place  of  his  family  south-east  of 
Moscow.  Neither  of  them  can  be  communicated 
with  either  by  letter  or  by  telegram,  nor  can  they 
communicate  with  any  one.  The  Grand  Duchess, 
with  her  two  sons  Kyrill  and  Andre,  sat  up  until 
they  knew  he  had  left  Petrograd. 

Her  counsels  prevailed — that  nothing  should  be 
done  that  night.  Her  other  son,  Boris,  was  at  his 
house  in  Tsarskoe  Selo.  They  did  not  telephone  to 
him,  fearing  that  in  his  anger  he  might  do  something 
rash. 

I  heard  to-day  that  the  "  Unmentionable  "  was 
buried  at  Tsarskoe  Selo ;  that  the  Emperor, 
Empress,  and  Heir  Apparent  *  were  at  the  funeral, 
also  the  Metropolitan  Pitirim  and  Protopopov,  the 
Minister  of  Home  Affairs  ;  these  two  were  both 
nominees  of  the  dead  moujik.  He  is  buried  in 
the  park  where  a  church  was  to  be  erected  con- 
tiguous to  one  of  the  Empress's  hospitals,  and 
his  body  now  lies  where  the  altar  will  eventually 
stand. 

*  The  Heir  Apparent  was  not  present. 


INFLUENCE  OF  SIR  GEORGE  BUCHANAN  91 

I  went  to  see  the  Grand  Duchess  at  6.     She  told  t 

bunday, 

me  that  Mme.  Derfelden,  daughter  of  Princess  Palei,  Jan.  7.  L. 
had  been  put  under  arrest.*  She  had  been  to 
Tsarskoe  Selo,  to  the  Christmas  tree  at  the  Grand 
Duke  Paul's.  When  she  got  back  she  found  all 
her  apartments  had  been  searched  and  the  locks 
burst.  Although,  no  popular  revolution  is  expected 
yet,  never  has  the  situation  been  so  bad.  In  Russia, 
after  many  arrests,  assassination  usually  follows. 
Anything  may  happen. 

If  only  our  Ambassador  could  see  the  Emperor, 
I  feel  sure  he  could  place  before  him  the  real  situa- 
tion. The  Emperor  has  always  listened  to  Sir 
George.  Russia  is  the  one  country  where  indi- 
viduality counts  more  than  in  any  other  country 
I  have  lived  in.  There  is  no  doubt  our  Ambassador 
has  a  position  here  which  no  other  Ambassador  has 
ever  held,  nor  anybody  else  holds  at  the  present 
moment.  The  meeting  of  the  Duma  on  January  12 
will  be  a  crucial  moment,  but  the  danger  could  be 
averted  if  the  Emperor  would  only  take  the  necessary 
steps. 

Had  luncheon  with  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  ;  Monday, 
the  Leon  Radziwills  also  there,  and  Grand  Duke  Jan>    ' 
Boris.     I  took  him  all  the  newest  "  ragtimes  "  from 
London  for  his  private  band.     Stayed  on  to  talk 
to  the  Grand  Duchess.     She  said  she  would  like  to 
dine  next  Monday  at  the  Embassy,  so  I  went  there 
to  tell  His  Excellency. 

It  seems  the  Grand  Duchess  Serge  wrote  to  the  Thursday, 
Empress  Alexandra,  her  sister,  to  ask  her  to  come  Jan-  "*    L' 
*  For  forty-eight  hours  only. 


92  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  to  her  convent  *  in  Moscow  for  a  month  or  so  to 
regain  the  confidence  of  the  people  and  to  show 
them  she  had  no  desire  to  interfere  in  the  Govern- 
ment. You  may  imagine  how  this  proposal  was 
met !  We  are  now  threatened  with  a  Regency  of 
the  Empire  during  the  Emperor's  absence  at 
Stavka.  If  the  worst  has  to  come — and  She  is 
prepared  to  take  all  risks — better  for  the  poor 
country  it  should  come  quickly  ! 

As  you  must  know,  Dmitri  Pavlovich  and  all  the 
family  are  furious  at  their  prerogatives  being 
touched.  No  one  has  the  right  to  enter  their 
houses,  and  yet  that  poor  boy's  house  was,  by  order 
of  the  Empress,  filled  with  common  soldiers. 

I  think  there  is  no  doubt  the  "  Unmentionable  " 
had  an  agony  of  several  hours. 

The  meeting  of  the  Duma  is  postponed  to 
January  25.  If  dissolved  they  will  all  go  to  another 
town  to  meet.  Then  will  come  the  great  tug  of 
war.  It  is  the  Etats  Generaux  over  again.  Don't 
be  surprised  at  the  most  startling  news  any  time. 
I  wonder  what  and  how  much  the  English  news- 
papers say. 

Thursday,  Please  forgive  this  awful  scrawl,  but  rheumatism 
in  my  arms,  wrist,  and  fingers  prevent  me  writing 
properly.  Last  Sunday,  Orthodox  Christmas  Day, 
I  went  to  Tsarskoe,  to  the  Emperor's  church  :  all 
the  family  were  there,  a  little  worried-looking,  after 
the  events  of  the  week — the  Emperor  very  drawn 
and  white  ;  he  was  very  still  and  looked  straight 

*  After  the  assassination  of  the  Grand  Duke  Serge  in  1905, 
his  widow  became  Abbess  of  the  Misericorde  Convent. 


HARSH  TREATMENT  OF  CULPRITS     93 

before  him  all  the  time  ;  only  once  he  turned  and  1917 
looked  into  the  body  of  the  church,  and  once,  when 
the  sun  had  come  out,  he  looked  up  at  the  dome. 
Once  both  he  and  the  Grand  Duchess  Olga,  who 
always  sits  next  to  him,  looked  down  their  aisle 
for  a  minute  or  so.  Probably  the  Heir  Apparent 
was  doing  something  to  attract  their  attention, 
which  happens  often. 

The  Empress  was  all  in  white  and  looked  conges- 
tionnee  ;  I  had  never  seen  her  so  flushed  before. 
The  Heir  Apparent  is  a  beautiful  boy  and  much 
grown  since  I  saw  him  last  in  the  summer.  He 
drove  away  with  his  father  and  mother. 

Dmitri  Pavlovich  without  his  A.D.C.  was  deported  Narrative, 
Sit  2  a.m.  on  Saturday,  January  6,  to  the  Persian 
frontier.  News  of  him  has  been  brought  through 
by  a  faithful  person.  There  was  nothing  to  eat 
in  the  carriage,  although  he  had  been  assured  there 
would  be.  His  destination  was  a  secret.  Even 
the  engine-drivers,  who  were  changed  every  two 
hundred  versts,  were  only  told  the  next  stage  they 
were  to  go  to.  He  has  arrived,  we  know,  as  far 
as  Baku.  His  destination  is  Kasvin. 

As  for  Felix,  he  was  put  without  food  or  atten- 
dance in  a  second-class  carriage  attached  to  a 
goods  train,  and  took  a  day  and  a  half,  instead  of 
ten  hours,  to  get  to  Moscow ;  his  father-in-law, 
Grand  Duke  Alexander,  met  him  there.  I  feel 
Felix  is  so  clever  he  will  get  all  he  wants,  whereas 
the  other  boy  is  always  helpless  and  desolate ;  he 
had  une  crise  de  nerfs,  and  completely  broke  down 
in  the  train  next  day  in  his  famished  condition. 


94  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Neither  the  two  boys  nor  their  servants  were  inter- 
rogated by  the  police  or  military  authorities. 
They  were  simply  deported. 

We  all  know  where  the  moujik  was  buried,  and 
how  and  when.  It  is  disgraceful.  What  is  really 
feared  for  the  Imperial  family  is  that  the  Empress 
may  make  herself  Regent  while  the  Emperor  is  away 
at  Stavka. 

You  don't  know  what  it  is  to  live  in  a  country 
where  lettres  de  cachet  still  exist ! 

Friday,  Went  to  see  Guy  Colebrooke,  and  on  the  stair- 

case met  the  Ambassador,  who  had  just  come  back 
from  being  received  by  the  Emperor  at  Tsarskoe. 
His  Excellency  told  me  the  Emperor  had  received 
him  standing  up  in  the  large  drawing-room,  where 
one  usually  waits  before  being  received.  He  was 
half  an  hour  with  the  Emperor,  and  was  able  to 
tell  him  everything  that  he  had  hoped  and  in- 
tended to  tell  him. 

Though  he  was  looking  very  tired,  I  could  see 
how  pleased  he  was  to  have  got  it  off  his  mind — 
like  some  one  who  had  confessed  and  communicated. 
When  he  left,  the  Emperor  shook  him  warmly  by 
the  hand  and  thanked  him.  The  nomination  of  the 
new  Under-Secretary  for  Home  Affairs  is  as  bad 
as  it  can  be,  and  encouraged  the  Ambassador  to 
speak  more  boldly  than  he  had  intended  to. 

Luncheon  at  Donon's,  where  I  met  Savinski, 
ex-Minister  at  Sofia.  He  told  me  that  Count 
Benckendorff,  the  Russian  Ambassador  in  London, 
was  dead.  I  at  once  sent  a  line  to  the  Grand 
Duchess  Vladimir,  in  case  she  had  not  already 


THE  EMPRESS  ALEXANDRA  FEODOROVNA 


PETITION  TO  THE  EMPEROR         95 

heard.     Engaged  to  dinner  at  the  French  Embassy,         1917 
but  later,  being  asked  by  the  Grand  Duchess,   I 
had  to  excuse  myself  to  the  Ambassador. 

During  dinner,  while  the  servants  were  out  of 
the  room,  the  Grand  Duchess  told  me  that  she 
had  had  drawn  up  and  signed  by  all  the  Imperial 
family  now  in  Petrograd  a  petition  *  to  the  Emperor 
appealing  to  the  human  side  of  Dmitri  Pavlovich's 
case.  This  was  handed  to  the  Emperor  last  night. 

At  half-past  nine  I  left  for  the  French  Embassy. 
I  had  a  long  talk  with  Son  Excellence,  but  he  told 
me  nothing  that  I  did  not  already  know.  He  had 
been  received  by  the  Emperor  last  Sunday,  and 
found  him  white  and  drawn  and  altered,  just  as  I 
had  remarked  in  church  the  same  day. 

On  New  Year's  Eve  at  supper  at  Prince  Michail  Saturday, 
Gorchakov's  I  was  told  that  the  answer  to  the  Im-  *'an* I3' 
perial  family's  petition  on  behalf  of  Dmitri  Pavlo- 
vich  had  come  couched  in  the  hardest  terms.* 

St.  Sauveur  assured  me  the  Grand  Dukes  had 
decided  not  to  go  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  to-morrow,  New 
Year's  Day,  to  wish  the  Emperor  a  happy  New 
Year.  I  doubted  his  news  but,  not  being  absolutely 
sure,  did  not  contradict  him. 

At  the  Grand  Duchess's  after  church  we  were  Sunday,  . 
twenty-eight  at  luncheon  ;    none  of  her  sons  were  ^an' I4' 
there.     The  Grand  Duchess  told  me  they  had  gone 
to  Tsarskoe — each  in  his  official  capacity — to  attend 
the  Emperor's  New  Year  reception.     She  also  told 
me  that  the  Grand  Duke  Nicolai  Michailovich  had 
come  to  see  her  the  night  before  to  say  good-bye, 
*  See  Appendix  I. 


96  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        having  been  commanded  by  the  Emperor  to  retire 

to  his  estate  in  the  South  of  Russia. 

Thursday,  Dined  with  the  Grand  Duchess.  She  was  most 
Jan.  1 8.  .  interesting,  telling  me  about  her  early  married  life 
at  Court,  and  about  the  Emperor  Alexander  II, 
who  was  devoted  to  her.  He  was  kindness  itself, 
although  a  martinet.  She  described  the  Sunday  of 
his  assassination — how  they  were  seated  at  luncheon 
in  her  palace  when  the  wife  of  the  concierge  of  the 
Millionaia  entrance  flung  open  the  dining-room 
door,  crying  "  He's  dead  !  He's  dead  !  "  Nothing 
further  could  be  extracted  from  her.  Presently  a 
man-servant  ran  in  and  said,  "The  Emperor  has 
just  been  driven  by — dead  in  his  brougham." 
The  Grand  Duke  Vladimir  immediately  left  for  the 
Winter  Palace  in  his  carriage,  which  was  always  in 
readiness  for  him.  The  Grand  Duchess  started  off 
as  soon  as  her  horses  could  be  put  to,  and  on 
arriving  at  the  palace  followed  the  blood-stains  to 
the  room  where  the  Emperor  had  been  taken. 
She  found  him  lying  on  a  bed — still  conscious,  for 
he  recognised  her.  To  her  horror  she  saw  that  the 
right  foot  was  hanging  by  one  long  sinew. 

His  kindness  of  heart  cost  him  his  life.  When 
the  first  bomb  had  killed  a  Cossack  of  his  escort 
and  damaged  the  back  of  his  carriage,  the  Emperor 
at  once  alighted,  the  coachman,  entreating  him  to 
get  in  again,  said  he  could  drive  him  to  the  palace. 
The  Emperor  approached  the  Nihilist  and  asked, 
"  What  can  I  do  for  you  ?  Why  do  you  want  to 
take  my  life  ?  "  The  man  only  hurled  another 
bomb,  which  exploded  between  the  Emperor's  feet. 


SAZONOV  AMBASSADOR  TO  ENGLAND  97 

On  Friday,    January   19,  Russian   Epiphany,  I     ,  I^7 
went  to  the   Emperor's  church  at  Tsarskoe  Selo.  Jan.  25.   L. 
Since  I  was  there  last,  on  their  Christmas  Day,  the 
whole  place  is  overrun  with  secret   police,  which 
is  something  quite  new. 

There  are  all  sorts  of  forecasts  of  the  outcome 
of  the  Rasputin  tragedy.  Though  it  has  been  dis- 
cussed fully  and  publicly  and  even  in  the  Press, 
perhaps  after  all  nothing  serious  will  happen.  There 
are  rumours  of  discontent  in  the  Guards  Regiments, 
especially  the  Preobrajenski. 

When  Pokrovski  *  went  to  Tsarskoe  about  the 
vacant  London  Embassy  the  Emperor  said,  "  You 
have  brought  a  list  ?  "  Pokrovski  answered,  "  I 
have  brought  only  one  name,  sire."  The  Emperor 
said,  "  I  also  have  only  one — Sazonov."  Pokrovski 
said,  "  That  was  mine  too  !  " 

I  went  to  the  Catholic  chapel  of  the  Cour  des 
Pages  to  the  Requiem  for  Count  BenckendorfL 
Our  Ambassador,  Sazonov,  Pokrovski,  the  family, 
and  many  friends  were  there. 

Sazonov  leaves  in  three  weeks  for  London. 
Kyrill  Vladimirovich  has  been  sent  on  a  naval 
mission  to  the  Far  North.  Andre  Vladimirovich 
goes  for  his  health  to  the  Caucasus  ;  so  all  the 
Grand  Dukes  are  being  gradually  dispersed,  in  order 
to  weaken  their  opposition.  Nicolai  Michailovich 
on  his  way  to  his  fate  passed  by  Kiev  to  see  the 
Empress  Marie,  who  adores  him,  but  there  is  no 
news  of  her  return. 

There  is  a  big  dinner  at  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's 

*  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

G 


98  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  on  Friday  for  the  Crown  Prince  of  Rumania,  to 
which  she  has  just  asked  me  :  as  there  are  to  be 
only  young  people,  I  am  much  touched.  To-day 
I  took  Colonel  Thomson  to  luncheon  there.  He  is 
our  Military  Attache  in  Jassy,  a  great  friend  of 
mine.  The  Crown  Prince  of  Rumania  and  General 
Hanbury- Williams  were  also  at  luncheon. 
Monday,  The  British  Mission  arrived  this  morning.  I  saw 

Jan.  29.  L.  QUV  Colebrooke  downstairs  and  asked  him  to  lun- 
cheon. He  came  with  Thomson,  also  Princess  Susie 
Belosselski  and  Princess  Dolly  Radziwill,  in  a  private 
room  at  Donon's.  Dined  at  General  Nostitz's  to 
meet  the  Grand  Duke  Boris.  At  9.30  I  left  for  the 
Embassy,  where  the  British  Mission  were  dining 
to  meet  the  Ministers.  I  was  the  only  guest  invited 
after  dinner ;  no  ladies  were  asked.  Sazonov 
introduced  me  to  Bark,  Minister  of  Finance,  who 
said  he  knew  all  about  me.  I  talked  to  Grand  Duke 
Sergei  Michailovich. 

I  shall  wait  till  I  come  to  England  to  bring  my 
private  papers  on  the  murder.  They  are  all  in  the 
Chancery  for  safety ;  also  a  copy  of  the  Grand 
Duchess's  appeal  to  the  Emperor  with  his  answer,* 
and  my  diary.  One  is  never  sure  what  the  police 
will  do  ! 

All  the  English  newspaper  telegrams  about 
Rasputin's  murder  are  incorrect. 

Tuesday,  The  English  Mission  has  been  to  see  the  Emperor 

Jan.  30.   L.   _wj10  was  in  tearing  spirits— and  walked  in  after 

the  reception  and  insisted  on  being  photographed 

with   them    all.     The   Ambassador    told    me    this. 

*  See  Appendix  I. 


THE  BRITISH  MISSION  99 

They  are  all  to  dine  there  again  on  Saturday,  which         1917 
was    not    expected.     To-morrow,    dinner    at    the 
English  Embassy. 

Duncannon  came  up  to  my  room  for  a  chat. 
Sir  Henry  Wilson  is  much  liked  by  every  one  who 
meets  him  here. 

I  hear  the  Riga  push  cost  us  95,000  men  ;  no 
artillery  to  support  them,  or  Red  Cross  to  bring 
away  the  wounded  ;  they  were  all  frozen  as  they 
lay. 

As  I  was  leaving  the  hotel  at  midnight  to  go  to  Saturday, 
supper  at  Princess  Dolly  Radziwill's,*  I  met  most  of 
the   Mission   coming   back  from   dinner   with   the 
Emperor  at  Tsarskoe.     Every  one  delighted  with 
their  evening. 

The  Mission  was  at  the  ballet.     All  the  National  Sunday, 
Anthems  were  played.     I  talked  for  some  time  to  Feb*  4<    Dm 
Sazonov  in   his   box.     He   told   me  he   had   been 
received    by    the    Emperor    and    Empress.     The 
Emperor   had   given   him   his    signed   photograph 
framed,  with  the  dates  of  his  Ministry  inscribed. 

Luncheon  at  the  Grand  Duchess's,  with  Boris  Wednesday, 
Vladimirovich,   Sir   Henry  Wilson,   Lords   Brooke 
and    Duncannon,    and    Captain    Valentine,  R.F.C. 
Sir  Henry  Wilson  left  at  midnight  for  the  Front 
for  ten  days. 

A  telephone  message  from  the  Grand  Duchess  Saturday, 
asking  me  to  go  at  11.30  with  her  to  meet  the 
exchanged  prisoners  from  Germany.  Drove  in  her 
motor  to  the  Viborg  station.  The  train  came  in 
a  few  minutes  after — it  was  all  most  impressive. 
*  Princess  Dolores,  m.  Prince  Stanislas. 


ioo  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  When  the  Imperial  Hymn  was  sung  after  the 
1e  Deum  many  of  the  soldiers  broke  down.  They 
then  had  a  large  meal,  at  tables  laid  in  the  sheds 
built  to  receive  the  repatriated  prisoners. 

Monday,  Met  the  Ambassador,  who  was  going  to  see 

Lord  Milner  just  back  from  Moscow.  Walking  in 
the  Millionaia,  saw  a  motor-car  surrounded  by 
mounted  police  with  drawn  swords — evidently  a 
prisoner  of  some  importance  being  conveyed  to  the 
Peter-Paul  Fortress. 

Tuesday,  Luncheon  at  the  Grand  Duchess's.  Guy  Cole- 

brooke  and  I  got  there  just  before  the  Am- 
bassador, who  sat  opposite  to  her.  Lords 
Milner  and  Revelstoke,  George  Clarke,  Sir  Berkeley 
Sheffield ;  also  Princess  Susie  Belosselski  and 
Knorring  (diplomat).  A  charming  luncheon  ;  the 
Grand  Duchess  was  at  her  best. 

Wednesday,  The  Mission  is  leaving,  and  now  we  await  calmly 
— mais  avec  (Le  granges  inquietudes — the  28th  of 
February,  the  opening  of  the  Duma.  The  trains 
to  Moscow  are  stopped  for  the  revictualling  of 
Petrograd.  The  little  boy  at  Tsars koe  Selo  has 
been  ill  with  a  chill  on  the  kidneys,  but  is  now  out 
of  all  danger.  Petrograd  has  been  quite  gay  for 
the  Mission.  The  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  was  the 
only  member  of  the  Imperial  family  who  entertained 
them  except  the  Emperor.  On  separate  occasions 
she  received  at  luncheon  the  civil  and  the  military 
members  of  the  English  Mission,  and  the  French 
Mission  on  another  day.  She  most  kindly  asked  me 
to  all.  I  had  a  most  interesting  conversation  with 
General  Castelnau  after  luncheon.  Lord  Milner 


STREET  DEMONSTRATIONS          101 

made  a  good  impression,  and   Sir  Henry  Wilson        1917 
cheered  us  all  up. 

At  7  I  took  the  train  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  dine  D. 

with  the  Grand  Duke  Boris.  We  were  seventeen 
at  dinner.  He  had  expected  the  Englishmen, 
but  the  Mission  had  left. 

Drove  with  Sazonov  from  our  hotel  to  luncheon  Saturday, 
at  the  Grand  Duchess's.     She  gave  him  her  photo-  Mar-  3>    D' 
graph,  signed  and  framed,   to  take  with  him  to 
London,  saying,  "  I  hope,  as  soon  as  the  war  is  over 
to  see  it  myself  on  your  table  at  the  Embassy." 

At  9.10  p.m.  drove  to  the  Nicolaiski  Station  to  Sunday, 
see  the  Grand  Duchess  off ;    she  was  leaving  for      ar<  4' 
Kislovodsk  in  the  Caucasus.     Kyrill  Vladimirovich 
was  there  and  many  of  her  friends. 

Had  luncheon  alone  at  Donon's.  Terestchenko,  Wednesday, 
on  his  way  out,  sat  down  at  my  table.  Had  not 
seen  him  for  nearly  a  year.  Dined  at  the  French 
Embassy ;  heard  there  had  been  disturbances  in 
the  streets  to-day  and  some  tram-car  windows 
smashed. 

Drove  to  the  French  Hospital.  Just  after  Friday, 
crossing  the  Nicolai  Bridge  I  met  a  demonstration  ar*  9' 
singing  the  "  Marseillaise."  They  were  prevented 
from  crossing  the  bridge,  so  turned  back  and  went 
up  the  8th  Linea  Street.  I  got  out  of  my  sledge, 
and  telling  the  man  to  wait  I  joined  them  and  went 
with  them  as  far  as  the  Bolschoie  Prospekt.  They 
were  accompanied  by  Cossacks.  They  were  not 
harassed  at  all,  and  the  Cossacks  chaffed  them  and 
talked  to  the  children  :  all  were  on  the  best  of 
terms.  I  wanted  to  see  how  they  behaved  and  how 


IO2 


RUSSIAN  DIARY 


1917 


Saturday, 
Mar.  10. 

Narrative. 


they  were  treated.  Tout  etait  a  V amiable.  When 
I  left  them  I  walked  back  to  my  sledge  and  went  on 
to  the  hospital. 

At  1.45  I  heard  a  great  noise  outside  the  hotel 
and  saw  the  Cossacks  ride  down  the  Michail  Street 
and  clear  the  people  away,  but  as  soon  as  the 
Cossacks  had  left  the  people  came  back,  and  a 
man  addressed  a  crowd  just  in  front  of  the  hotel. 
Shortly  afterwards  I  heard  a  crash,  the  breaking  of 
the  windows  at  Pekar's — the  cafe  at  the  corner  of 
the  Nevski  Prospekt  under  my  hotel.  The  Cossacks 
then  rode  back  down  the  street  and  the  people  ran 
away  before  them.  I  leaned  out  of  my  window 
and  could  see  into  the  Nevski. 

I  then  dressed  and  went  to  luncheon  at  Donon's. 
Returning  along  the  Nevski  towards  my  hotel 
I  talked  for  a  moment  to  Savinski.  The  street  was 
full  of  the  usual  people  one  sees  of  a  Saturday 
afternoon  on  the  Nevski.  The  Cossacks,  un- 
mounted, were  posted  by  the  Moika  Canal  outside 
the  Strogonov  Palace  ;  where  the  Morskaia  crosses 
the  Nevski  the  patrol  was  going  down  to  the  end 
of  the  Prospekt.  Returning  up  the  Nevski  I  went 
on  foot  to  my  hotel.  It  was  a  beautiful  day.  The 
streets  were  quite  normal  and  very  full.  As  I 
turned  down  the  Michail  Street  I  saw,  higher  up 
the  Nevski,  a  crowd  collected  at  the  Sadovia 
crossing — whether  troops  or  people  I  could  not 
make  out.  Motor-cars  and  sledges  were  driving 
about ;  there  were  no  people  off  the  sidewalk  in 
the  street  itself.  I  went  up  to  my  room  and  added 
a  postscript  to  a  letter  I  had  written  to  the  Grand 


FIRING  ON  THE  CROWD  103 

Duchess  Vladimir  in  the  Caucasus  describing  the  1917 
situation  ;  took  the  letter  down  to  the  porter  to  be 
sent  by  hand  to  her  palace,  went  upstairs  and 
immediately  began  to  change  my  clothes,  as  1  was 
going  to  a  concert  of  the  Boris  Vladimirovich 
Orchestra  in  a  hall  in  the  Mochovaia.  I  had  put 
on  my  boots  and  my  trousers  when  I  heard  a  sound 
which  I  knew,  but  couldn't  recall.  I  opened  my 
window  wide  and  realised  it  was  the  chatter  of  a 
machine-gun  ;  then  I  saw  an  indescribable  sight — 
all  the  well-dressed  Nevski  crowd  running  for  their 
lives  down  the  Michail  Street,  and  a  stampede  of 
motor-cars  and  sledges — to  escape  from  the  machine- 
guns  which  never  stopped  firing.  I  saw  a  well- 
dressed  lady  run  over  by  an  automobile,  a  sledge 
turn  over  and  the  driver  thrown  into  the  air  and 
killed.  The  poorer-looking  people  crouched  against 
the  walls  ;  many  others,  principally  men,  lay  flat 
in  the  snow.  Lots  of  children  were  trampled  on, 
and  people  knocked  down  by  the  sledges  or  by  the 
rush  of  the  crowd. 

It  all  seemed  so  unjust.  I  saw  red.  I  put  on  a 
jacket  without  tie  or  collar  or  greatcoat,  rushed  to 
my  third-floor  lift,  where  I  was  kept  waiting  some 
time.  I  thought,  if  I  could  rally  the  people,  we 
could  capture  the  guns.  When  I  got  downstairs 
I  found  the  hall  and  doorway  crammed.  Only 
with  difficulty  could  I  get  out.  By  now  those  who 
had  crouched  near  the  wall  had  got  up  and  were 
running  away.  The  guns  had  stopped  firing. 
The  street  was  almost  empty ;  there  was  nothing 
for  me  to  do,  so  I  returned  to  the  hotel,  finished 


104  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  dressing,  and  walked  to  the  concert  at  the  Mochovaia. 
All  the  sledges  had  gone  home.  There  were  only 
a  dozen  people  there,  who  immediately  left  when 
I  told  them  what  I  had  seen.  The  authorities  had 
warned  the  Grand  Duke  Boris  not  to  go  out. 

I  don't  know  what  provoked  the  gun-firing,  for 
the  Nevski  was  quite  normal  when  I  went  into  the 
hotel.  Whether  a  demonstration  had  come  dowTi 
from  the  Sadovaia  or  not  I  don't  know,  but  the 
crowd  who  rushed  down  the  Michail  Street  were 
mostly  well  dressed. 

There  were  three  machine-guns  between  the 
Trinity  Chapel  and  the  Gastinny  Dvor,  which  could 
rake  Michail  Street ;  they  were  placed  two  in  front 
and  one  behind.  They  were  surrounded  by  soldiers, 
so  one  could  not  see  them  from  the  street.  I  saw 
-  them  from  an  upper  hotel  window. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  hotel  at  6.50  the 
manager  told  me  that,  after  I  had  gone  out,  the 
guns  had  been  firing  to  clear  the  street,  and  that 
four  people  had  been  killed  at  the  corner  of  the 
Nevski.  Alma,  the  housemaid  who  looks  after  me 
so  well,  came  to  my  room  and  said  she  had  been 
all  the  time  at  a  window  that  overlooked  the 
Nevski,  and  when  the  machine-guns  had  fired  a 
second  time  she  had  seen  a  woman  and  three  men 
shot. 

A  crowd  had  come  down  from  the  Sadovaia  ; 
when  they  arrived  outside  the  Municipal  Duma 
opposite  rny  hotel,  a  man  made  a  speech  saying 
the  people  wanted  the  Emperor  to  know  how  much 
they  were  suffering.  The  police,  not  the  soldiers. 


COSSACKS  PATROLLING  IN  STREETS  105 

fired,  killing  three  men  :    the  woman  was  shot  at        1917 
the  corner  of  the  street.     The  bodies  were  taken 
away  either  by  the  police  or  the  soldiers  ;  one  body 
was  put  in  a  sledge  and  driven  quickly  away  down 
the  Nevski.    Alma  saw  all  this. 

I  walked  to  Donon's  to  dine  with  Albert  Radzi- 
will  and  Frasso,  who  had  come  from  Italy  on  a 
cinematograph  propaganda  mission.  Afterwards 
we  went  on  foot  to  see  the  Joseph  Potockis,  and 
sat  there  with  them,  discussing  what  I  had  seen 
in  the  afternoon. 

All  the  morning  I  was  writing  about  the  events  Sunday, 

of  yesterday.     At  2  I  went  on  foot  down  the  Nevski   xrar 

'  J  Narrative. 

to  Donon's.  At  the  corner  of  Michail  Street  and 
Nevski  I  crossed  over  to  see  where  the  bullets  of  the 
police  had  hit  the  wall  of  the  Municipal  Duma  and 
the  shops  alongside  of  it.  The  police  had  come  up 
the  Nevski  from  the  Kasan  Church,  and  had 
drawn  themselves  up  under  the  windows  of  the 
"  Europe,"  which  give  on  to  the  Nevski.  The 
people  were  unarmed  and  peaceable  citizens. 

Going  to  luncheon  I  noticed  there  were  no  trams 
running,  but  in  the  Nevski  there  were  a  few  sledges. 
The  streets  were  full,  and  crowds  of  Sunday  people 
walking  down  the  middle  of  the  street.  There 
were  patrols  of  Cossacks  everywhere.  The  Cossacks 
after  patrolling  would  stop  at  the  corners  of  the 
streets,  get  'off  their  horses  and  talk  to  the  people. 
I  witnessed  no  unpleasantness  at  all. 

Donon's  very  full.  The  usual  Sunday  band  not 
playing.  Talked  to  Princess  Dolly  Radziwill, 
Countess  Kreutz,  Prince  Kudachev,  and  Prince 


106  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Boris  Golitzin,  who  had  been  having  luncheon 
together.  Countess  Kreutz  asked  me  to  come  to 
the  ballet  that  evening.  On  my  way  to  the  Hotel 
de  1'Ours  in  Big  Stable  Street  found  a  patrol  of 
cavalry  Cossacks  drawn  across  the  thoroughfare, 
and  people  being  refused  permission  to  pass. 
I  hugged  the  wall  at  the  corner  and  managed  to 
reach  the  hotel.  On  coming  out  with  Madame 
Derfelden,  nee  Scheremetev,  I  saw  the  Nevski  had 
been  emptied  of  people.  We  heard  that  the 
police  had  been  shooting  the  people  near  the  Nicolai 
station.  I  proposed  to  go  up  the  Nevski,  but  she 
hesitated.  When  she  did  consent  to  come,  a 
single  patrol  asked  us  in  dialect,  not  in  Russian, 
to  turn  back.  He  was  probably  a  Mohammedan  ; 
Mohammedan  troops  have  been  brought  expressly 
to  Petrograd. 

So  we  went  back  down  the  Big  Stable  Street, 
across  the  Imperial  Stable  Place,  and  on  to  the 
English  Embassy.  There  were  many  people  about ; 
patrols  of  cavalry  everywhere  ;  no  sledges.  At 
the  Embassy  I  went  in,  Madame  Derfelden  pro- 
ceeding alone  to  the  French  Quay,  where  she  lives. 
I  found  the  Ambassador,  his  wife  and  daughter— 
also  Guy  Colebrooke — just  arrived  from  Finland, 
where  they  had  been  for  ten  days'  rest.  As  it 
turned  out,  their  train  was  the  last  on  the  Finland 
line  which  was  allowed  by  the  police  or  the  people 
to  come  into  Petrograd. 

On  the  way  back  to  my  hotel  I  had  to  pass  in 
front  of  the  barracks  of  the  Pavlovski  Guards 
Regiment.  There  was  much  ferment  amongst  the 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  POPULACE    107 

soldiers  at  the  gates,  and  a  great  deal  of  very  1917 
animated  conversation.  The  men  who  had  been 
out  on  leave  during  the  day  were  now  coming  back 
for  the  night.  Some  of  their  officers  were  urging 
them  to  go  quietly  into  their  barracks.  Later  the 
police  came  to  the  Colonel,  and  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  wear  uniforms  of  his  regiment.  The  soldiers, 
hearing  he  had  consented,  killed  him.  This  was 
the  first  Guards  Regiment  in  Petrograd  that 
mutinied.  The  different  Guards  Regiments  in 
Petrograd  were  composed  mostly  of  reservists— 
married  men  of  between  thirty  and  forty,  and 
a  few  boys. 

Guy  Colebrooke  told  me  he  was  going  to  the 
ballet,  so  we  arranged  to  dine  at  the  "  Ours."  As 
there  were  no  sledges  we  walked  to  the  Marienski 
Theatre  ;  the  house  quite  deserted.  From  there 
Countess  Kreutz  drove  us  in  her  automobile  to  the 
Leon  Radzi wills'  dance.  The  Grand  Duke  Boris 
was  there. 

I  had  words  with  Boris  Golitzin  about  the  police 
shooting  the  people  who,  quite  quietly,  were  asking 
for  bread.  He  sneered,  "  You  were  very  much 
upset  yesterday  at  seeing  a  few  people  killed  in  the 
street.  To-morrow  you  will  see  thousands  ! " 
I  replied,  "  It's  damned  hard  lines  asking  for  bread 
and  only  getting  a  bullet !  " 

Leon  Radziwill  *  very  kindly  sent  me  home  in  his 

automobile  at  4  a.m.     The  Nevski,  as  well  as  the 

other    streets    that    radiate    from    the    Admiralty, 

was  being  swept  by  searchlights  from  the  Admiralty 

*  Prince  L6on,  fourth  son  of  Prince  George. 


108  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        Tower  ;    occasional  bullets  whistled  up  and  down 

the  Nevski. 
Monday,  Fine  weather.     No  street  traffic  or  trams  running. 

As  I  walked  from  the  hotel  to  have  luncheon  at 
Narrative. 

Madame  Derfelden's,  I  passed  in  front  of  the 
Engineer  Palace,  in  which  the  Emperor  Paul  was 
assassinated  in  1801,  crossed  the  Fontanka  Canal, 
and  went  down  to  the  French  Quay,  where  she  lives. 
During  luncheon  we  heard  incessant  firing  all  round 
the  house.  On  leaving  I  walked  as  far  as  the 
Liteiny  Prospekt,  which  is  always  the  storm-centre 
of  every  agitation  in  Petrograd.  There  was  a 
good  deal  of  desultory  firing.  I  returned  along 
the  quay  to  the  English  Embassy,  catching  up 
Tereschenko. 

At  the  Embassy  I  heard  that  the  Olives — who 
live  opposite  the  Tauride  Garden,  where  the  Palace 
of  the  Duma  is  situated — expecting  friends  for 
luncheon,  had  telephoned  to  say  they  were  quite 
cut  off,  and  hoped  nobody  would  risk  the  journey. 
That  immediately  excited  me  to  go,  so  I  started  off 
along  the  French  Quay.  I  had  just  got  to  the 
Liteiny,  and  was  in  the  act  of  crossing  the  street, 
when  machine-guns  began  to  fire,  so  I  lay  down  in 
the  snow,  and  a  fat  woman  of  the  people  lay  across 
my  legs  till  the  machine-guns  had  finished  firing. 
With  difficulty  was  I  able  to  extract  myself  from 
the  snow  and  the  old  lady.  Plato  defined  bravery 
as  the  knowledge  of  what  one  ought — and  ought 
not — to  fear.  I  then  bolted  across  the  street  and 
continued  my  way  to  the  Olives'.  Along  the 
Schpalernaia  Street  the  first  troops  were  coming 


ANNIHILATION  OF  THE  POLICE      109 

back   from   having  sworn   allegiance   to   the    Pro-        1917 
visional  Government. 

I  wanted  to  get  news  of  the  British  Red  Cross 
Depot,  over  which  the  Ambassadress  presides, 
and  found  it  had  not  been  looted — shutters  up  and 
everything  in  order.  After  that  I  made  my  way 
up  the  quays  because  the  crowd  was  threatening ; 
and,  having  seen  a  boy  officer  killed  because  he 
would  not  surrender  his  sword,  I  avoided  the  broad 
streets  that  run  towards  the  Duma,  as  they  were 
continuously  being  swept  by  machine-gun  fire. 
Walking  along  the  edge  of  the  river  I  witnessed  a 
fierce  battle  going  on  across  the  Neva  on  the 
opposite  quay. 

In  my  faltering  Russian  I  asked  a  non-com- 
missioned officer  who  was  walking  in  the  deep  snow 
whether  I  was  to  go  straight  on  or  turn  to  the 
right  for  the  Potemkinskaia.  He  replied  in  Russian, 
"  Straight  on."  A  few  minutes  after,  to  my  utter 
astonishment,  he  said  in  purest  English,  "  This  is 
the  hell  of  a  mess  !  "  He  then  told  me  that  his 
mother  was  English,  and  we  continued  walking 
together  until  he  left  me  at  the  Olives'  house. 
On  our  way  we  looked  in  at  the  Duma  to  see 
the  troops  "  swearing  allegiance  "  before  they 
marched  off  to  patrol  the  streets  against  the 
police,  though  by  this  time  there  were  no  police 
in  the  streets — they  had  either  been  killed  or 
taken  prisoners,  or  were  in  hiding.  All  day 
there  was  unceasing  firing  of  rifles  and  machine- 
guns. 

[Part  of  narrative  of  this  day  lost.] 


no  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

Glorious  weather.     On  foot  to  the  Embassy,  and 
Man  13.'  D.  along  the  quay  to  see  if  anything  had  happened  to 
the  Vladimir  Palace.     Found  everything  all  right. 
On  to  the  Hotel  Astoria,  which  had  been  completely 
gutted. 

This  morning  between  9  and  10,  as  an  orderly 
demonstration  was  passing  by  the  Hotel  Astoria, 
a  shot  was  fired  from  one  of  the  upper  windows  of 
the  hotel.  The  crowd  immediately  opened  fire  on 
the  hotel,  stormed  the  entrance,  and  swarmed 
all  over  the  building  on  every  floor.  None  of  the 
women  were  molested,  but  several  officers  were 
killed  and  the  whole  of  the  ground  floor  was 
completely  wrecked.  Several  of  my  acquaintances 
who  were  stopping  there  were  given  shelter  at  the 
Italian  Embassy  on  the  opposite  side  of  Isaac's 
Place.  From  there  I  went  on  to  Potsdam  Street  to 
see  General  Freedericksz's  house,  looted  and  set  on 
fire  by  the  mob  this  morning.  It  was  completely 
burnt  out,  only  the  outside  walls  remaining.  Even 
their  collie  dog  was  bayoneted  in  the  hind  quarters. 
Countess  Freedericksz  only  got  away  just  in  time. 
Returned  to  Embassy.  Great  excitement — fighting 
in  all  the  streets.  Everywhere  rifle  and  machine- 
gun  firing,  especially  on  the  other  side  of  the  Neva. 

Left  the  Embassy  later  with  Locker-Lampson 
in  one  of  his  cars.  He  dropped  me  at  the  Fontanka. 
On  leaving  me  the  car  was  shot  through. 

Walked  back  to  the  hotel,  keeping  close  to  the 
houses  for  fear  of  being  shot.  So  to  bed  and  had 
just  gone  to  sleep  when  the  new  military  police 
came  and  made  me  get  out  of  bed  while  they 


THE  EMPEROR  AT  BOLOGOE        in 

searched  my  rooms  for  hidden  firearms.     Interludes        1917 
of  rifle  and  machine-gun  firing  all  night. 

Zero  Fahrenheit — snowed  all  day.     I  heard  no  Wednesday, 

firing  before  8.;o.     Streets  quiet,  but  many  soldiers  ^ar>  I4' 

J       _T7,  T^  J  Narrative. 

walking    about.     When    I    went    out    at     10.50, 

Edelson,  of  the  Anglo-Russian  Bank,  overtook  me 
and  told  me  he  had  been  distributing  bread  to  the 
people  and  that  the  Emperor  had  arrived  at 
Tsarskoe  Selo.  I  walked  with  him  as  far  as  his 
bank.  A  Siberian  regiment  was  marching  up  the 
Nevski ;  they  had  been  met  at  the  station  by 
the  Petrograd  troops  and  were  on  their  way  to  the 
Duma — now  the  seat  of  the  Provisional  Government. 
I  looked  in  at  the  Votive  Church  for  the  Emperor 
Alexander  IPs  requiem.  Only  I  and  a  few  moujiks 
were  present ;  last  year  all  the  Court  was  there. 

At  the  Hotel  de  1'Ours  I  heard  that  the  Emperor 
in  his  train  had  been  stopped  at  Bologoe,  which  is 
six  hours  by  fast  train  from  Petrograd  ;  also  that 
he  had  been  to  Moscow  from  Moghilev  ;  but  this 
I  doubt.  Most  likely,  instead  of  taking  the  direct 
route  from  Moghilev  to  Petrograd,  the  train  went 
across  country  and  joined  the  Moscow  line  at 
Bologoe. 

From  the  Ours  I  walked  down  the  street  on  to 
the  quays  and  so  to  the  Embassy.  From  Lady 
Georgina's  boudoir  on  the  entresol  we  saw  quantities 
of  troops  crossing  the  Troitza  Bridge,  who  turned 
along  the  quay  in  front  of  the  Embassy  on  their 
way  to  the  Duma  to  support  the  Government. 
In  the  night  all  the  Krasnoe  Selo  troops,  and  all  the  * 
Tsarskoe  Selo  troops,  had  marched  or  come  in 


ii2  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

19  J7        trains  to  Petrograd  ;    also  many  of  the  Kronstadt  1 
sailors.     There   were   batches   of  sailors   marching 
about,  mostly  orderly. 

At  I  went  upstairs  to  luncheon ;  there  was 
nothing  to  eat  in  my  hotel.  On  the  staircase  met 
the  Ambassador  and  Locker-Lampson.  I  told 
His  Excellency  all  I  had  seen  and  heard.  He 
was  inclined  to  believe  it  true  that  the  Emperor 
had  been  detained  at  Bologoe.  After  luncheon 
the  Daily  Chronicle  correspondent  came  to  the 
Ambassador  with  the  news  that  a  delegation  was 
leaving  for  Bologoe  to  inform  the  Emperor  that 
his  brother  had  been  appointed  Regent  until  the 
end  of  the  war.  He  told  us  that  new  Ministers 
had  already  been  chosen,  with  Prince  Lvov  as 
President  of  the  Council ;  that  the  food-supply 
would  now  be  all  right,  as  the  town  had  been 
organised  into  districts  ;  that  500  officers,  including 
many  Generals,  had  been  to  swear  allegiance ; 
that  in  the  Duma  Protopopov  had  been  received 
with  laughter  and  supreme  contempt,  and  sent  to 
the  Peter-Paul  Fortress. 

I  left  the  Embassy  intending  to  go  to  the  Fon- 
tanka  to  see  the  Michael  Gorchakovs,  but  in  front 
of  the  Summer  Garden  Chapel  I  met  Vesey,  who 
told  me  there  had  just  been  a  battle  in  the  Liteiny 
Prospekt,  the  police  still  firing  machine-guns. 
I  returned  at  once  to  the  Embassy  to  tell  General 
Knox,  who  was  going  that  way  to  the  Duma. 
Outside  the  Embassy  a  man  was  saying  that 
machine-guns  had  again  been  firing  in  the  Nevski 
and  down  Michail  Street.  Knox  had  told  me  at 


DEATH  OF  STACKELBERG  113 

luncheon  that  Protopopov  had  had  machine-guns  1917 
put  on  all  the  corner  houses  of  Petrograd,  and  that 
the  troops  had  taken  forty-four  machine-guns  off 
the  roofs  yesterday  ;  but  evidently  there  are  still 
some  left,  for  I  had  heard  one  firing  close  to  the 
Ours  at  midday. 

I  left  the  Embassy  to  walk  back  to  the  hotel, 
and  in  the  Millionaia  heard  a  General  had  just  been 
killed,  and  later  that  when  some  soldiers  forced 
their  way  into  General  Stackelberg's  house,  he  had 
shot  at  them  with  his  revolver  and  then  ran  out 
of  the  house  to  the  Palace  Quay,  jumping  over  the 
parapet  on  to  the  frozen  Neva,  where  he  was  shot. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  hotel  I  found  our  street 
quite  empty  and  nobody  except  residents  allowed 
to  enter  the  hotel.  All  passports  had  to  be  shown. 
This  I  had  implored  Berg,  the  manager,  to  order 
two  days  ago,  as  every  Germanophil  or  suspected 
person  naturally  flies  to  an  hotel  to  hide  himself. 
I  was  passed  in  and  found  the  Commandant  in  the 
hall  giving  orders.  I  asked  Berg  to  translate  for 
me,  and  I  requested  the  Commandant  to  put  a 
guard  on  the  roof  so  that  there  could  be  no  mistake 
about  machine-guns  being  there.  A  police  machine- 
gun  had  been  firing  down  our  street  and  the  Nevski 
fifteen  minutes  before,  but  could  not  be  located. 
I  went  upstairs  to  see  Sazonov,  and  sat  with  him 
twenty  minutes.  He  had  seen  an  old  lady  shot  in 
the  street  by  the  police  machine-gun.  //  etait 
outrage.  I  went  out  again  to  the  Ours  by  Little 
Stable  Street,  where  there  had  been  large  patches 
of  blood  in  the  snow  when  I  passed  in  the  morning. 

H 


ii4  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  The  falling  snow  had  now  covered  them  :  it  had 
been  snowing  since  12. 

At  the  Ours  I  only  heard  lies,  and  from  there 
I  went  to  call  on  the  Polovtsovs.  They  had  gone 
to  the  Foreign  Office,  so  I  went  on  there  to  see 
Madame  Tatistchev,*  and  found  Madame  Polovtsov 
and  several  friends.  In  a  few  minutes  Peter 
Polovtsov  and  Madame  Ignatiev,  whom  I  had 
just  met  in  the  street,  came  in.  They  were  saying 
that  Madame  Virbova  had  died  of  measles,  that 
the  Empress  had  complained  there  were  no  troops 
in  Tsarskoe  Selo,  that  she  asked  for  some  one 
responsible  to  be  sent  there,  that  Rodzianko  had 
himself  left  for  Tsarskoe  with  two  Members  of  the 
Duma. 

The  French  Ambassador  called,  and  after  staying 
twenty  minutes  took  me  in  his  automobile  as  far  as 
the  English  Embassy — my  first  drive  since  Friday. 
He  told  me  Bark  and  his  official  staff  of  the  Ministry 
of  Finance  had  been  arrested.  In  the  hotel  I  was 
told  3000  people  had  been  shot  in  all.  One  wonders 
how  many  more  the  police  would  have  killed  unless 
the  troops  had  joined  the  people  !  The  news  is  that 
Stiirmer  died  in  the  night !  Countess  Freedericksz, 
who  is  very  ill,  was  taken  out  of  her  house  just 
before  it  was  set  on  fire,  and  passed  the  night  on  a 
stretcher  in  the  Guards'  Hospital.  Her  daughter 
appealed  to  the  Ambassador  for  her  to  be  taken  in 
at  any  English  institution,  so  it  was  arranged  by 
the  English  Chaplain,  who  at  luncheon  to-day  at 

*  Wife  of  the  Permanent  Under-Secretary  for  Foreign 
Affairs — formerly  of  the  Russian  Embassy  in  Paris. 


THE  SOCIAL  DEMOCRATS  115 

the  Embassy  told  the  Ambassador  she  had  been        1917 
removed  in  a  sledge  and  stowed  away  at  the  top 
of  the  English  Nursing  Home. 

2°  Fahrenheit.  Lovely  morning,  very  cold  wind. 
Snow  being  cleared  away.  Usual  people  in  the 
streets.  I  washed  my  windows,  which  were  very 
dirty.  No  bread  ! 

Seymour  came  to  see  me  and  told  me  the  situation ; 
was  getting  serious — not  in  the  streets,  which  werei 
quieting  down — but  amongst  the  Social  Democrats, 
who  were    throwing   printed   inflammatory   mani-  , 
festos  out  of  automobiles.     We  discussed,  and  he  * 
agreed  to,  a  proposal  I  made  to  acquaint  the  Social 
Democrats  of  the  Allied  nations  with  the  gravity  of 
the  position  here,  and  ask  them  to  telegraph  to  their 
Russian  comrades.     We  went  out  together  down 
the  Nevski,  which  seemed  quite  normal ;    people 
walking,  but  no  traffic.     The  dead  horse  was  still 
at  the  corner  of  the  Little  Stable  Street. 

Seymour  left  me  at  the  Ours,  where  I  saw  Frasso.  Thursday, 
He  had  been  at  the  Duma  yesterday  and  had  seen'  Mar-  *5-  D- 
the  Grand  Duke  Kyrill  march  in  at  the  head  of  the 
representatives   of  the  Navy  to  support  the  new 
Government.     He  had  also  heard  that  Rodzianko 
had  not  gone  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  see  the  Empress. 

I  went  on  to  the  Polovtsov's  and  found  four 
Foreign  Office  men  who  had  had  luncheon  there. 
From  that  moment  I  began  to  realise  how  serious 
the  situation  was  getting.  They  told  me  the 
Emperor  had  left  Bologoe  in  his  train  and  had  been 
heard  of  at  or  near  Pskov.  Madame  Polovtsov  was 
very  anxious  and  worried.  I  went  to  the  Embassy. 


n6  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  The  streets  very  full — still  quiet,  but  groups  of 
people  everywhere.  The  Ambassador  came  down- 
stairs. As  I  helped  him  on  with  his  coat  I  told  him 
of  the  project  Seymour  had  been  to  see  me  about. 
He  said  he  had  received  a  letter  on  the  same  subject 
fjand  had  already  telegraphed.  Just  then  he  was 
I  called  to  the  telephone,  and  when  he  came  out  said 
the  Emperor  had  abdicated — the  Heir  Apparent 
was  to  reign  under  the  Regency  of  Michail  Alex- 
androvich.  As  he  went  out,  Wilton  *  came  in 
with  no  news. 

Lady   Georgina   came   down   and   I   helped  her 
arrange  rooms  for  Raikes,  King's  Messenger,  and 
eight  officers  wTho  were  expected  from  Romanov. 
Somerset,   a   King's   Messenger,  was   also   moving 
*  into  the  Embassy.     He  had  been  staying  at  the 
Astoria  and  saw  the  red  flag  hoisted  on  the  Winter 
Palace.     Presently  Raikes  arrived  with  the  officers 
and  the  bags  and  a  lot  of  our  submarine  sailors. 
The  sea  journey  had  been  good  all  the  way,  and 
after  the  North  Cape  as  smooth  as  glass  ;   but  the 
railway  journey  had  been  terrible.     No  accommo- 
dation in  the  train  and  eight  nights  without  changing 
their  clothes  !     As  they  were  leaving  their  port  a 
ship  caught  fire,  illuminating  the  whole  country 
and  making  a  weird  effect  on  the  snow.     General 
Poole  came  in  from  the  Duma  and  told  the  Am- 
bassador the  situation  was  very  grave.     I  helped 
to  carry  the  bags  up. 

On  my  way  to  the  Foreign  Office  I  met  a  hearse 
with  an  oak  coffin  coming  from  the  Million  aia— 
*  The  Times  Correspondent. 


SITUATION  AT  FOREIGN  OFFICE     117 

the  first  funeral  I  have  seen  since  the  beginning  of        1917 
the  Evoution  ;   the  Revolution  began  to-day  ! 

At  the  Foreign  Office  I  found,  besides  Princess 
Michail  Gorchakov  and  Countess  Alexander  Schu- 
valov,  a  number  of  men.  Amongst  them  was 
Etter,  the  Russian  Minister  to  Persia,  whom  I  had 
not  seen  since  his  return  to  Petrograd.  He  told  me 
that  there  was  no  confirmation  of  the  Emperor's 
abdication — that  the  Foreign  Office  had  also  been 
telephoned  to  for  information — that  the  actual 
Government  could  not  get  in  touch  with  him. 
Etter  had  had  luncheon  on  Monday  with  Boris 
Vladimir ovich,  who  was  leaving  at  3  for  Tsarskoe 
Selo,  so  as  to  see  the  Emperor  the  moment  he 
arrived.  Savinski  described  his  morning  at  the 
Astoria — his  room  riddled  with  bullets,  and  how 
he  went  to  the  Italian  Embassy,  where  the  Am- 
bassador most  kindly  received  him. 

Just  before  I  left  the  Foreign  Office,  Tatistchev 
came  into  the  drawing-room.  He  had  been  at  the 
Duma  since  10  in  the  morning.  He  said  there  was 
no  news  of  the  Emperor — that  the  situation  was 
most  precarious  and  "  hung  on  a  hair."  All  the 
Foreign  Office  men  had  identification  papers  given 
them  as  a  precaution. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  Europe  I  found  the 
guard  had  been  doubled  and  Meserve,  the  American 
banker,  told  me  that  guards  had  been  put  at  all 
the  banks.  In  the  hall  I  met  General  Poole,  who 
asked  if  I  had  any  news.  I  repeated  what  I  had 
heard  at  the  Foreign  Office,  that  the  situation  was 
most  critical.  He  said,  "  That  is  just  what  I  told 


ii8  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  the  Ambassador."  I  dined  with  the  Meserves  and 
played  bridge  afterwards.  Charlier,  of  the  Belgian 
Consulate,  came  in  at  9.45  and  said  he  had  taken 
the  Belgian  Minister  to  the  English  Embassy  for  a 
conference  with  the  English  and  French  Ambassa- 
dors, and  at  10  he  had  to  go  and  fetch  him.  He 
returned  at  10.45  and  said  the  situation  was 
slightly  better  than  earlier  in  the  evening,  and  they 
hoped  the  crisis  might  be  weathered,  but  it  was 
still  acute. 

I  heard  from  the  National  City  Bank  clerks  that 
Stackelberg  did  run  away  from  his  house,  but  was 
shot  crouching  behind  a  lamp-post  on  the  Palace 
Quay ;  that  after  the  soldiers  shot  him  they 
stripped  him  naked  and  left  him  in  the  middle  of 
the  road.  The  patrols  rode  over  his  body  as  it  lay 
there  two  hours.  I  had  passed  along  the  quay  at 
midday,  and  as  the  snow  on  the  Neva  had  not 
been  trampled,  I  think  this  must  be  true. 

I  also  heard  there  that  the  Empress  had  been 
placed  under  guard  by  a  friendly  officer,  who  thus 
prevented  any  question  of  soldiers  or  people 
molesting  her.  The  soldiers  of  Tsarskoe  Selo 
looted  all  the  wine-shops,  but  next  morning  asked 
their  officers  to  take  them  to  Petrograd.  The 
trains  did  not  go  yesterday  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  for  the 
first  time.  Countess  Kleinmichel  had  managed  to 
escape  yesterday  before  they  went  to  arrest  her  in 
her  house.  The  soldiers  drank  all  her  wine,  and 
she  was  arrested  this  afternoon  at  the  Chinese 
Legation.  Also  heard  that  General  Knorring,* 
*  It  was  his  cousin, 


THE  NEW  GOVERNMENT  119 

my  friend  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's  equerry,  1917 
had  offended  a  soldier  at  the  club  and  been  shot  on 
the  staircase  ;  that  General  Schebeko  was  asked  to 
give  up  his  sword  and  1000  roubles  to  those  who 
wished  to  arrest  him,  which  he  did  ;  that  General 
Nostitz  was  arrested,  taken  to  the  Duma,  and 
released. 

Madame  Voyeikov  came  to  the  Embassy  while  I 
was  there,  about  her  mother,  Countess  Freedericksz, 
who  is  staying  in  the  English  Nursing  Home. 
The  troops  had  visited  the  home.  After  leaving 
the  Foreign  Office  I  went  to  the  Ours,  but  Frasso 
had  not  come  back  from  the  Duma.  He  is  Deputato 
Italiano,  and  they  let  him  assist  at  the  seances. 

i°  Fahrenheit.      Sunny   morning.      The   streets  Friday, 
being  swept  and  the  snow  carried  away  on   the  Mar>  I6<  D' 
usual  horse  drays. 

10  a.m.  The  old  man  who  keeps  a  music  shop 
opposite  has  reopened  it  after  six  days.  Wood  is 
being  brought  on  horse  sledges  to  the  house 
opposite.  Bennett  brought  me  writing-paper  and 
told  me  there  were  many  groups  of  people  every- 
where and  much  revolutionary  conversation  and 
talk  about  arresting  those  who  don't  agree  with  the 
speakers. 

At  11.15  on  g°mg  downstairs  found  Skirmunt 
(Conseiller  de  I'Empire)  in  the  hall.  He  said  the 
new  Government  was  composed  of  the  most 
intelligent  men  in  Russia.  On  my  way  to  the 
Embassy,  near  the  Votive  Church,.,  met  Bunting, 
Permanent  Secretary  to  Ways  and  Communications. 
He  told  me  the  nomination  of  Prince  Lvov  as 


izo  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  President  of  the  Council  and  Minister  of  the 
Interior  was  excellent — that  he  was  a  man  who  was 
listened  to  and  respected  by  all  classes. 

At  the  Embassy  I  found  Lady  Georgina  ;  the 
Ambassador  had  gone  to  the  Foreign  Office. 
Whilst  we  were  talking,  Williams,  of  the  Daily 
Chronicle,  came  in.  He  thought  the  situation 
clearer,  but  by  no  means  settled.  He  said  the 
Minister  of  Justice,  Kerenski,  was  a  good  appoint- 
ment— that  he  was  the  cleverest  lawyer  in  Russia— 
that  in  the  Duma  last  night  about  8  p.m.,  whilst 
the  Extreme  Left  were  shouting  for  a  Republic, 
Kerenski  came  in  and  said,  "  Comrades,  I  am 
Minister  of  Justice."  They  roared  out,  "  In  what 
Government  ?  "  He  said,  "  The  Emperor  has 
abdicated  and  Michail  Alexandrovich  is  to  be 
Regent !  "  More  shouts  for  a  Republic.  He 
answered,  "  I  was  born  a  Republican  and  I  shall 
die  a  Republican  ;  but  Russia  is  not  ready  yet  for 
that  form  of  Government,  and  when  the  war  is 
over — which  we  all  intend  to  win — then  the  will 
of  the  country  will  be  followed." 

After  leaving  the  Embassy  I  went  to  the  Ours 
and  had  luncheon  with  Frasso,  who  had  been  at 
the  Duma  till  5  yesterday.  He  had  nothing  new 
to  tell.  In  the  afternoon  found  Madame  Polovtsov 
just  going  out,  so  we  went  together  down  the 
Morskaia — Jewish  students  were  pulling  down  the 
eagles  over  the  shops  and  over  the  Yacht 
Club.  We  went  and  saw  Mary  Hartmann,  wife 
of  the  Colonel  of  the  Horse  Guards.  There 
were  many  young  officers  of  the  Horse  Guards , 


ABDICATION  OF  THE  EMPEROR      121 

Madame     Tatistchev     and     Princess     Gorchakov        1917 
came  in. 

We  heard  the  Emperor  had  abdicated  for  himself 
and  his  son  (which  is  not  legal),  and  that  Michail 
Alexandrovich  had  refused  the  Regency.   We  went 
back  by  Count  Freedericksz's  house,  which  is  com- 
pletely gutted,  along  the  Potsdam  Street  to  Isaac 
Square,  and  down  the  Morskaia  across  the  Nevski 
to  the  Winter  Palace,  where  the  Red  Flag  is  flying 
and  the  eagles  on  the  big  gates  are  covered  with 
red  cloth.     The  big  coat  of  arms  is  still  on  the  large 
entrance  gate.     We  then  went  on  by  the  Millionaia 
to   the   Palace   Quay.     The   flag   of    the    Imperial 
Navy  is  now  flying  on  the  Peter-Paul  Fortress  in 
i  place  of  the  Emperor's  flag.     From  the  Palace  Quay  f 
>  we    heard    volleys    being    fired    across    the    river.  f 
'  I  afterwards  understood  it  was  the  police  being  | 
\J6hot  against  a  wall. 

I  never  saw  Petrograd  look  more  beautiful — 
brilliant  sunshine,  cloudless  sky,  and  yesterday's 
snow  not  swept  away.  At  the  Embassy  I  found 
Lady  Georgina  very  busy,  as  a  guard  of  thirty-six 
young  men  of  the  Corps  des  Pages  had  been 
appointed  to  guard  the  Embassy.  I  went  and 
helped  her  to  arrange  the  two  rooms  given  to  them. 
They  were  all  sons  of  well-known  families  and  mostly 
quite  young.  The  Ambassador  was  receiving  them. 
Knox  came  back  from  the  Duma  and  said  Michail 
Alexandrovich  had  refused  the  Regency,  so  they 
were  in  a  great  fix  as  to  who  was  to  be  head  of  the 
Empire  until  the  end  of  the  war.  The  Ambassador 
.  in  reply  to  my  inquiries  said  that  things  were  going 


122  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  from  worse  to  worst.  During  dinner  at  Prince 
Constantine  Radziwill's,  an  officer  of  the  Etat- 
Major  came  in  with  a  typed  copy  of  the  Emperor's 
abdication,  which  Skirmunt  translated  into  French. 
I  found  it  a  little  difficult  to  grasp,  but  it  seemed 
to  me  that  while  the  first  part  referring  to  the  war 
was  very  fine,  the  part  about  handing  over  the 
power  to  his  brother  was  illogical.  Can  one  hand 
over  something  which  has  already  been  taken 
away  ? 

The  Etat-Major  officer  said  he  was  at  the  Duma 
when  the  Countess  Kleinmichel  was  taken  there. 
She  was  brought  in  between  two  enormous  sailors. 
When  they  arrested  her  at  the  Chinese  Embassy 
she  offered  the  soldiers  cigarettes,  but  they  said 
they  didn't  want  any  nonsense  like  that — they 
wanted  her  \  She  was  taken  from  the  Chinese 
Embassy  on  a  horse  dray  to  the  Duma.  On 
Wednesday  evening  the  Chinese  Legation  had 
telephoned  to  the  English  Embassy  that  the  troops 
were  battering  at  their  doors.  What  ought  they 
to  do  ?  Having  owned  that  Countess  Kleinmichel 
was  there,  they  were  advised  to  open  them  im- 
mediately. She  has  since  been  released  from  the 
Duma. 

I  heard  that  Empress  Marie  has  left  Kiev  in  an 
automobile ;  that  a  guard  has  been  placed  on 
Michail  Alexandrovich's  apartment ;  that  the 
abdication  of  the  Emperor  was  countersigned  by 
Count  Freedericksz ;  that  the  Empress  was  in  bed, 
suffering  from  violent  hysteria. 

The  Ambassador  went  on  Thursday  to  see  the 


FOOD  SCARCITY  123 

Grand  Duchess  Xenia  in  her  palace.  She  was  in 
a  great  state  of  mind.  Nicolai  Michailovich — who 
had  been  banished  to  his  country  estate  in  January 
— was  already  back  in  Petrograd  Thursday  night. 

The  streets  everywhere  crammed  with  orderly 
crowds.  The  wood-drays  and  a  few  sledges  in  the 
streets — some  shops  open. 

6°  Fahrenheit.  Deep  snow  fell  in  the  night ;  Saturday, 
still  snowing  hard,  with  high  wind.  I  found  a 
sledge  at  the  door  and  drove  to  the  Embassy. 
Flurries  of  snow — almost  impossible  to  see.  Lady 
Georgina  gave  me  some  sardines  and  jam,  there 
being  nothing  to  eat  in  the  hotel. 

I  went  11.50  to  the  Embassy  before  luncheon  in 
a  sledge,  and  brought  back  Head  (secretary)  with 
me  to  the  Europe.  I  had  seen  Skirmunt  (Conseiller 
de  P Empire)  on  my  way  out,  who  said  the  new 
Ministry  was  safely  established  ;  that  they  were 
sitting  at  that  moment ;  that  the  position  had  been 
very  difficult  the  night  before,  as  Milyukov  and 
Guchkov  had  wished  to  resign — in  fact,  had  re- 
signed for  several  hours. 

After  luncheon  at  the  Europe  I  went  in  a  sledge 
to  see  Princess  Dolly  Radziwill.  Whilst  I  was 
there  they  telephoned  to  say  that  Schubine  had 
been  arrested. 

At  8  I  went  on  foot  to  dine  with  the  Polovtsovs. 
Bunting  dined  ;  his  brother,  a  general,  had  been 
killed  at  Tver,  of  which  he  was  Governor,  for 
refusing  to  give  up  his  sword  to  the  soldiers. 

Polovtsov  told  me  that  Milyukov  had  made  a 
very  good  impression  at  the  Foreign  Office  ;  that 


124  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        Pokrovski  was  still  living  there,  as  he  could  find 
no  apartment  to  go  to. 

When  Guchkov  and  Schulgine  arrived  at  Pskov 
to  ask  the  Emperor  to  abdicate,  he  received  them 
at  once  and  brought  out  of  a  drawer  from  his 
writing-table  three  sheets  of  writing-paper,  with 
the  substance  of  his  abdication  already  type- 
written. He  said  his  decision  to  abdicate  had 
been  definitely  taken  the  day  before,  and  he  had 
drawn  up  certain  leading  points.  For  two  whole 
hours  the  envoys  worked  together  at  the  Act  of 
Abdication,  and  two  copies  of  it  were  signed  by 
the  Emperor  and  countersigned  by  General  Freed- 
ericksz.  The  envoys  then  left  in  the  special  train 
that  had  been  given  to  them  at  the  Warsaw  station 
in  Petrograd  on  no  authority  but  their  own  word. 
On  their  return  to  Petrograd  the  soldiers  tried  to 
take  away  Guchkov's  copy  of  the  Abdication  Act, 
which  they  all  wanted  to  see  and  read — new-born 
Liberty  !  The  other  copy  is  in  the  hands  of  General 
Russki.  The  document  Guchkov  brought  back  is 
to  be  handed  over  solemnly  to-morrow,  Sunday 
morning,  to  the  archives  of  the  Foreign  Office. 

There  has  been  no  official  announcement  as  yet 
as  to  whether  the  names  of  the  Emperor  and  the 
Imperial  Family  are  to  be  omitted  from  the  Divine 
Liturgy — each  priest  is  to  follow  his  own  judgment 
to-morrow. 

Goremykine,  the  former  Premier,  is  very  ill  and 
has  asked  for  a  priest.  The  medicines  and  remedies 
which  had  been  sent  from  his  house  to  the  Peter- 
Paul  Fortress  never  reached  him. 


VISIT  TO  TSARSKOE  SELO  125 

The  Reds  demand  the  heads  of  Protopopov  and  1917 
General  Beliaev  for  handing  over  machine-guns  to 
the  police.  Pitirim,  the  Metropolitan,  who  was 
arrested,  has  since  been  released.  Kokovtsov,  former 
Minister  of  Finance,  whom  I  knew  at  Salsomaggiore 
in  1913,  was  arrested  in  the  hall  of  the  Hotel  de 
1' Europe,  but  immediately  released  with  apologies. 
There  have  been  no  arrests  maintained  of  those 
who  were  not  directly  responsible  for  reactionary 
politics.  In  Moscow  they  say  only  two  people 
were  killed.  To  inquiries  at  the  Danish  Legation 
about  the  Empress  Marie  Feodorovna  it  is  replied, 
"  She  is  well  and  at  Kiev." 

I  walked  home  at  midnight  up  the  Nevski— 
everything  quite  peaceful.  On  the  windows  of  the 
newspaper  office  was  posted  up  in  large  letters, 
"  Nicolai  Alexandrovich  Romanov  [sic]  has  left 
for  Livadia."  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  ! 

8°  Fahrenheit.  After  luncheon,  alone  at  the  hotel,  Sunday, 
I  decided  to  go  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  and  drove  to  the 
station.  The  train  was  very  full.  When  I  arrived 
I  took  a  sledge  and  drove  along  the  long  avenue 
and  crossed  the  Petrograd  chaussee  by  the  old 
fountain  and  went  through  the  Convoy  Cossacks' 
quarters  to  the  Feodorovski  Sobor,  where  I  have  so 
often  been  to  service  with  the  Emperor  and  his 
family.  I  heard  there  had  been  much  fighting 
here,  but  all  was  quite  quiet  now — like  any  other 
Sunday.  The  streets  everywhere  were  full  of 
soldiers  and  the  public.  Before  the  church  I 
stopped  and  got  out.  A  child  on  skis  was  playing 
in  the  snow  ;  the  trees  sparkling  in  the  brilliant 


126  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  sunshine.  I  then  continued  by  the  road  along  which 
the  Emperor  comes  from  the  palace  to  the  church. 
The  roadway,  cleared  of  snow,  was  as  well  kept  as 
before.  My  old  friend  who  sweeps  the  leaves  was 
not  at  his  corner,  but  the  mounted  Cossacks  were 
in  their  places,  and  the  usual  policeman  at  the 
park  gate — which  is  rarely  or  never  used — and  at 
the  palace  gate  three  policemen  in  their  grey 
uniform  ;  each  of  them  had  a  white  armlet. 

I  drove  on  to  the  old  palace  and  then  along  the 
park  to  Prince  Putiatin's  house,  where,  having  no 
cards,  I  wrote  a  word  for  him.  I  saw  his  servant 
was  much  upset.  He  explained  to  me  the  Prince 
had  gone  away,  but  I  did  not  realise  he  had  been 
arrested  until  the  Grand  Duke  Paul  told  me. 
Prince  Putiatin  had  been  to  see  the  authorities  ; 
in  his  absence  General  Ivanov  had  arrived  and, 
using  the  Prince's  typewriting  machine,  had 
written  a  manifesto  saying  he  had  been  sent  from 
the  Front  by  the  Emperor  to  take  the  lead  against 
the  insurgents.  The  soldiers  coming  in  and  finding 
what  had  been  written  without  the  Prince's  know- 
ledge, waited  till  he  came  in,  and  arrested  him. 
He  is  now  lodged  at  the  Riding  School  next  to  the 
Municipal  Duma  (Town  Hall). 

From  there  I  drove  round  the  Grand  Duchess 
Vladimir's  palace  and  gardens,  where  I  had  spent 
so  many  happy  days,  and  found  everything  in 
order,  with  sentries  at  the  gates  and  the  front  door, 
as  before. 

I  wrote  my  name  on  the  Grand  Duke  Paul  and 
sent  in  my  card  to  Princess  Palei  to  know  if  she 


THE  EMPRESS  AND  THE  ABDICATION  127 

would  like  to  see  me.  Her  son  came  out,  said  1917 
they  were  at  tea,  and  asked  me  in.  I  found  the 
Grand  Duke  tnerve  mais  pas  abattu,  and  Princess 
Palei  unhappy.  I  told  him  all  I  had  seen  and 
heard  in  Petrograd  and  the  state  of  the  town  to-day. 
He  told  me  that  it  was  he  who  had  announced  to 
the  Empress  that  the  Emperor  had  abdicated— 
that  she  had  known  nothing  whatever — that  she 
was  completely  broken  down,  but  dressed  and 
walking  about— that  the  little  boy  and  the  two 
younger  daughters  had  quite  got  over  their  measles 
—that  the  Grand  Duchess  Olga  had  bronchitis  as 
well  as  the  measles,  and  Grand  Duchess  Tatiana 
was  also  very  ill. 

Princess  Palei  told  me  that  at  the  Mass  at  the 
old  parish  church — where  the  Empress  Elizabeth 
had  a  fit  (1760)  and  was  too  heavy  to  be  carried 
away — all  the  names  of  the  Imperial  family  had 
been  left  out,  and  that  the  priest  cried  when  he 
gave  her  the  pain  benit. 

The  Grand  Duke  asked  for  news  of  Boris  Vladi- 
mirovich  or  Kyrill  Vladimirovich.  On  my  way  to 
the  station  I  drove  to  Boris  Vladimirovich's  house, 
rang  the  bell,  and  asked  to  see  Bennett,  his  English 
servant ;  but  he  took  so  long  to  come  that  I  wrote 
my  name  with  the  date,  and  left.  There  was  a 
good  deal  of  firing  last  night  at  10. 

They  began  to  clean  the  tramway  lines  at  9  a.m.,  Monday, 
but  owing  to  Saturday's  heavy  fall  of  snow,  and  Mar>  I9<  D' 
snow  all  to-day,  there  was  much  to  do.     In  St. 
Isaac's  Place,  soldiers  were  also  clearing  away  the 
snow.     Bought  half  a  pound  of  butter  for  90  kopeks 


128  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  instead  of  I  rouble  75  kopeks — the  price  before 
the  Revolution.  At  2  to  the  Polovtsovs  and  found 
his  brother  Peter  had  been  appointed  Secretary  to 
Guchkov,  the  Minister  of  War.  At  4.30  to  the 
Embassy.  Lady  Georgina  had  been  in  the  morning 
to  see  Grand  Duchess  Victoria,  who  was  down- 
hearted and  cross. 

Tuesday,  2°  Fahrenheit.     Woke  up  at  9  after  twelve  and 

a  half  hours'  sleep.  To  see  Lady  Sybil  Grey,  who 
is  leaving  to-morrow  with  Somerset  for  England 
via  Bergen.  She  was  out.  Went  on  to  the  Embassy 
to  leave  my  letters  for  the  bag.  Heard  excellent 
French  and  English  war  news  there.  At  11.25 
the  first  tram  went  by. 

Monday  and  Oh  !  Archie,  we  have  had  a  week  !  As  you  may 
Mar-8 19-20  imagme>  I  have  been  in  the  streets  all  through  the 
L.  to  Sir  revolution — constantly  on  my  stomach  in  the  snow 
w^  t^ie  P°^ce  machine-guns  firing  over  me.  You 
would  have  laughed  to  see  me  lying  in  the  snow 
in  the  middle  of  a  street  with  a  fat  woman  across 
my  body  and  the  machine-guns  raking  the  street. 
I  am  very,  very  tired.  I  saw  a  great  deal  and  also 
heard  a  great  deal  of  first-hand  news,  all  of  which 
I  have  written  down  from  hour  to  hour. 

I  just  stepped  down  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  yesterday 
after  luncheon  to  see  what  was  going  on.  There 
had  been  much  fighting  there,  but  all  was  quite 
quiet  now,  as  on  any  other  Sunday. 

I  then  went  on  to  see  Paul,  the  Grand  Duke  ; 
he  had  seen  the  Empress  in  the  morning.  She  was 
calm,  she  realises  their  position,  and — what  is 
more — her  own  want  of  judgment. 


SOLDIERS  SUPPORT  THE  REVOLUTION  129 

The  first  firing  by  the  police  was  in  our  street  at  1917 
5.15  p.m.  on  Saturday,  March  10. — Until  Wednes- 
day the  1 4th,  a  complete  upheaval.  By  Thursday 
the  police  had  been  beaten  and  the  Emperor  had 
abdicated.  The  new  Executive  Government  only 
wanted  a  Constitutional  regime,  but  things  have 
gone  so  far  it  will  probably  have  to  be  a  Republic  ; 
still,  Russia  is  a  box  of  surprises. 

We  have  been  passing  through  hell  and  I  don't 
suppose  we  are  out  of  it  yet.  If  the  workmen  keep 
the  soldiers  on  their  side,  order  will  not  be  re- 
established, there  being  no  police  to  protect  the 
peaceable  citizen.  Yesterday  two  priests  were 
mauled — a  thing  which  had  not  happened  before. 

The  first  tram  for  ten  days  has  just  gone  by. 
The  post  began  again  this  morning. 

The  fear  is  that  the  present  Liberal-Radical 
Government  may  become  Radical-Red.  Michail 
Alexandrovich  upset  everything  by  not  accepting 
the  Regency  which  was  offered  him.  His  wife  was 
away  at  Gatchina,  or  probably  it  would  have  been 
otherwise. 

I  was  at  the  Duma  when  the  first  three  regiments 
"  came  over."  I  never  once  saw  a  drunken  soldier. 
Tuesday,  March  13,  was  the  worst  day.  The  people 
had  seized  guns  from  the  arsenal  and  were  firing  at 
anything  and  anybody.  In  the  Nevski  there  is 
hardly  a  broken  window  except  from  bullets,  and 
no  shops  looted.  Rumour  has  it  that  "  Alexandra 
Feodorovna  Romanova  "  says  :  "  If  only  the  Duma 
had  been  prorogued  a  week  earlier,  all  this  would 
never  have  happened  !  " 

i 


130  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

J9iy  It  is  too  soon  to  judge  of  details,  but  all  agree 

it  will  be  impossible  for  the  Emperor  and  his  family 
to  stay  in  Russia.  Do  you  think  we  shall  see  them 
at  Cannes  as  we  did  the  Caserta  ?  *  The  Executive 
Government  regret  that  matters  have  gone  so  far. 
All  they  wanted  was  a  Constitutional  Empire. 

To  think  of  the  magnificent  patrimony  God  gave 
the  Emperor  and  how  it  has  been  frittered  away ! 
He  never  changed  a  muscle  of  his  face  while  the 
Abdication  Manifesto  was  being  drawn  up  in  his 
train. 

Thank  God !  my  Grand  Duchess  had  left  a 
fortnight  before  for  the  Caucasus.  I  was  to  have 
left  last  night  with  her  son  Boris  to  join  her.  God 
only  knows  how  she  will  get  back,  poor  soul ! 
We  have  no  war  news  except  that  Bapaume  is 
taken,  which  is  cheering.  I  am  very  active  but 
horribly  tired  and  feel  very,  very  old — much  older 
than  at  the  Battle  of  the  Marne,  September  '14. 

(Later.)  I  have  just  heard  the  Emperor  is  on 
his  way  back  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  ;  the  idea  is  to  send 
them  to  England,  the  home  of  liberty  and  of  all 
refugees.  He  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  to  Norway. 

(Later.)  No  fresh  news.  The  trams  running, 
some  restaurants  open,  but  of  course  no  police  ; 
I  shall  stay  on.  I  have  been  very  active  the  last 
two  days,  and  am  already  friends  with  the  new 
Minister  of  War's  private  secretary,  so  perhaps 
I  shall  get  my  work  through.  The  general  im- 
pression of  the  new  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  is 

*  Count  Caserta,  of  Naples,  heir  to  the  last  King  of  the 
Two  Sicilies. 


THE  DOWAGER  EMPRESS  131 

"  intelligent,  but  not  strong."     Luncheon  to-day  at        1917 
the    Embassy,   now   becomes   normal.     Cold    and 
sunny.    Our  good  war  news  cheers  one  up.     If  only 
Lord  Kitchener  were  alive  to  know  it ! 

Letter  from  Tsarskoe  from  Grand  Duke  Boris's  Wednesday. 
English  servant  saying  that  he  had  a  trustworthy          2I* 
messenger  who  could  take  anything  I  wished  to 
send  to  the  Grand  Duke    at   the  place  where  he 
then  was. 

I  heard  at  the  Foreign  Office  that  the  Empress 
Marie  had  telegraphed  there  in  English  on  March 
12:  "Where  is  my  eldest  son  ?" —that  the 
Princess  Nicolas  of  Greece  telegraphed  there 
to-day  for  news  of  her  mother,  Grand  Duchess 
Vladimir  ;  that  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Pavlovich 
had  been  telegraphed  to  by  the  Executive  Govern- 
ment that  he  could  return  to  Russia  whenever  he 
chose  and  go  wherever  he  liked  ;  that  last  night 
large  fires  had  been  lit  at  the  foot  of  the  column 
in  the  Winter  Palace  square  to  melt  the  snow  and 
earth  and  enable  a  pit  to  be  dug  for  the  burial  of 
the  victims  of  the  Revolution.  At  midnight  this 
was  stopped  by  order.  The  Workmen's  and  Sol- 
diers' Committee  then  asked  if  they  could  be  buried 
in  the  Summer  Garden ;  no  answer  was  given. 
Every  serious  question  is  postponed  as  much  and 
as  long  as  possible.  In  the  meantime,  with  the 
severe  frost,  there  is  no  danger  from  the  unburied 
dead  bodies. 

The  large  coat  of  arms  over  the  main  entrance 
to  the  Winter  Palace  is  still  uncovered,  but  the  big 
crown  on  the  top  of  the  palace  is  covered  with  red. 


132  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Zero  Fahrenheit.     Took  a  sledge  at  the  hotel. 

The  Driver,  in  a  rude  and  insolent  tone  of  voice, 
demanded  five  roubles  for  what  before  would  have 
cost  me  I  rouble,  and  a  Russian  60  kopeks.  I 
repeated  in  amazement,  "  Five  roubles  !  "  and  got 
into  the  sledge.  Infuriated,  he  scowled  fiercely  at 
me,  and  refused  to  start  for  several  minutes.  All 
the  way  he  kept  on  repeating,  "  Five  roubles," 
mimicking  my  accent.  On  arrival  at  the  Ours, 
I  just  gave  him  70  kopeks.  He  stood  aghast,  but 
took  it  like  a  lamb. 

Luncheon  with  Constantine  Radziwill  to  meet 
his  cousin  Princess  Dorothy,  who  had  arrived  from 
Paris  the  night  before,  after  six  days  at  sea,  from 
Hull  by  Lerwick  to  Bergen. 

Friday,  Passing  across  the  Foreign  Office  square,  found 

the  Imperial  coat  of  arms  and  the  two  eagles  from 
the  smaller  gates,  and  the  great  crown  on  the 
roof  of  the  Winter  Palace  had  been  removed  since 
last  night,  when  I  passed  at  6.15.  Along  the 
Morskaia  a  regiment  marched  with  its  band  play- 
ing the  "  Marseillaise  "  over  and  over  again.  The 
news  from  the  Russian  trenches  is  bad — utter  ruin 
of  all  discipline  and  the  wholesale  deposition  of 
officers,  if  not  worse  !  This  is  from  the  Dvinsk 
region. 

Saturday,  To-day  the  Allies  recognised  the  Provisional 
Mar.  24.  Government,  to  whom,  through  the  abdication  of 
the  Emperor,  their  Embassies  have  become  auto- 
matically accredited.  At  our  Embassy  I  saw  the 
Ambassador,  who  had  been  ill  in  bed  for  three  days, 
preparing  to  go  to  the  Council  of  State  to  announce 


EMPEROR  AND  EMPRESS  ARRESTED  133 

England's    recognition.     I     heard    later    that    his        1917 
speech  was  very  severe,  but  much  to  the  point. 

General  Kornilov,  who  is  responsible  for  the 
safety  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  who  put 
the  Empress  under  arrest  for  sending  a  telegram  in 
cipher  to  the  Emperor — before  there  had  been 
no  question  of  their  arrest — asked  the  Minister  of 
War  to  send  an  officer  competent  to  fulfil  the  duties 
required  of  one  in  constant  contact  with  the 
Imperial  family.  The  officer  sent  has  been  working 
at  the  Etat-Major  in  Petrograd  since  the  beginning 
of  the  war.  He  is  to  live  at  Tsarskoe  Selo,  opposite 
the  church  of  the  Old  Palace,  on  the  ground  floor 
of  Count  BenckendorfFs  house,  having  other 
officers  with  him.  He  has  been  instructed  to  call 
the  Emperor  "  Majesty,"  not  "  Imperial  Majesty." 

Some  three  hours  after  the  Emperor's  arrival 
at  Tsarskoe  Selo  a  crowd  of  workpeople,  with 
several  machine-guns,  arrived  at  the  palace  to  find 
out  whether  the  Emperor  had  really  returned,  and 
asked  him  to  show  himself.  It  was  arranged  with 
Count  Benckendorff  that  a  deputation  of  them 
should  come  into  the  big  hall,  and  that  the  Emperor 
should  walk  across  it  from  one  room  to  another. 
As  soon  as  they  had  come  in,  the  Emperor,  accom- 
panied by  Count  Benckendorff,  walked  from  one 
room  to  the  other  across  the  end  of  the  long  gallery. 
He  never  turned  his  head.  The  deputation  in- 
voluntarily uncovered.  The  crowd  then  left. 

The  Grand  Duke  Alexei  has  quite  recovered. 
His  sailor  is  always  with  him.  Count  Benckendorff 
is  under  arrest,  but  is  allowed,  with  his  wife,  to  live 


134  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  in  the  palace,  and  is  in  attendance  on  the  Emperor. 
Only  le  personnel  douteux  has  been  sent  away ; 
most  of  the  servants  are  still  there.  The  Emperor 
is  allowed  to  walk  in  the  park,  but  always  accom- 
panied by  an  officer.  He  sweeps  the  snow  off  the 
paths  to  occupy  himself.  He  has  the  face  of  a  dead 
man,  though  his  fine  eyes  still  gleam  ;  he  shows  no 
emotion  at  all — he  has  never  shown  emotion  even 
during  the  most  trying  situations  of  his  life. 
I  grieve  to  have  to  write  it  of  so  good  a  man,  but  as 
Emperor,  through  all  this  terrible  time,  he  has  not 
made  un  seul  beau  geste.  The  Empress  is  quite 
calm.  They  are  not  separated,  as  the  newspapers 
say.  Her  evil  genius,  Madame  Virbova,  is  ill  with 
measles  in  the  palace.  She  will  be  taken  away  under 
arrest  as  soon  as  she  recovers. 

Dining  at  the  French  Embassy  I  heard  that  the 
Minister  of  Justice — Kerenski — is  the  only  member 
of  the  new  Government  who  makes  any  impression 
of  having  real  force  of  character.  The  position  is 
in  some  ways  less  strained,  but  every  day  the  Reds 
become  more  exorbitant  in  their  demands — they 
want  the  Emperor  and  Empress  to  be  brought  to 
trial,  and  not  allowed  to  leave  the  country.  Any- 
how, it  would  take  at  least  a  fortnight  before 
anything  could  be  arranged  for  their  departure 
and  much  may  happen  in  that  time. 

The  telephone  direct  to  the  Executive  Govern- 
ment which  the  Duma  had  given  Her  has  been 
taken  away.  As  long  as  they  remain  here  there  is 
bound  to  be  distrust  and  unrest.  I  suggested 
Balmoral  to  the  Ambassador — which,  after  all,  is 


BREAK-UP  OF  THE  ARMY          135 

not  England,  but  Scotland.     A  moment  might  come        1917 
when  their  presence  in  England  might  hurt  the 
Entente.     The  children  are  still  ill — though  better 
— which  complicates  matters. 

The  Kyrills  are  behaving  tactlessly ;  he  is 
attacked  by  all  parties  for  his  attempts  to  curry 
favour  with  the  powers  that  be,  at  the  expense  of 
his  family.  Kyrill  Egalite  \  A  Radical  newspaper 
said,  "  Only  rats  leave  a  sinking  ship  !  " 

Our  old  friend  Mita,  calm,  and  covered  with  red 
bows  !  The  streets  are  normal  and  the  victims 
to  be  buried  by  their  relations,  not  by  the  Govern- 
ment. 

The  Workmen's  and  Soldiers'  Committee  is 
impossible  ;  but  every  day  will  strengthen  the 
hands  of  the  Provisional  Government,  if  only  the 
army  remains  on  the  side  of  order.  Whole  regi- 
ments are  leaving  the  Front  and  walking  off  to 
their  homes. 

One  dines  in  morning  clothes — en  citoyen.  The 
food  question  is  still  acute  and  there  is  only  soldiers' 
black  bread.  The  post  comes  fitfully,  no  news- 
papers have  been  delivered  yet.  Over  a  million 
letters  were  destroyed  at  the  General  Post  Office. 

The  cold  always  continues,  and  snow  most  days. 
— 4°  Fahrenheit.  The  longest  winter  since  1808. 
I  wish  the  spring  could  begin. 

When  shall  I  ever  see  you  again  ?  Many  things 
may  yet  happen  here  worse  than  what  we  have 
already  gone  through. 

At  12.30  Valentine,  of  the  English  Royal  Flying  Sunday, 
Corps,    with    his    Cossack    orderly,    arrived    from  Mar>25-  D- 


136  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Moscow  to  ask  for  instructions  from  the  Minister  of 
War,  whether  his  job  at  the  Moscow  aerodrome  is 
to  continue  under  the  new  Government.  The 
hotel  was  crammed,  so  he  dressed  and  had  luncheon 
in  my  apartment,  where  I  found  him  busy  eating 
on  my  return.  He  told  me  that  at  Moscow  he  had 
helped  to  defend  his  friends  against  the  soldiers 
who,  intoxicated  by  the  notorious  First  Order,  were 
assassinating  their  officers. 

The  officer  in  attendance  on  the  Emperor  told  me 
His  Majesty  had  asked  permission  to  telegraph  to 
Hanbury- Williams,  and  a  telegram  had  been  sent 
telling  the  General  how  the  children  were.  The 
Emperor  said  he  must  learn  to  play  "  Patience  "  ; 
before,  he  never  had  any  leisure,  now  he  has  too 
much.  Madame  Narischkine,  Grande  Maitresse  de 
la  Cour,  is  living  in  the  palace,  having  voluntarily 
placed  herself  under  arrest,  in  order  to  be  near  the 
Emperor  and  Empress. 

Rasputin's  body  was  dug  up  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  on 
the  night  of  March  22-23.  I*  had  been  embalmed 
and  looked  as  if  still  alive.  It  was  stripped  and 
insulted  by  the  soldiers,  afterwards  put  on  a  motor- 
trolley  and  brought  to  the  Imperial  stables  in 
Petrograd  and  burnt  at  Udilni,  fifteen  miles  north 
of  Petrograd,  between  3  and  7  yesterday  morning. 
When  pulled  out  of  the  Little  Neva  the  body  was 
found,  on  official  examination,  to  have  three  shot 
wounds — one  in  the  side,  which  was  mortal ;  one 
in  the  back  ;  and  one  on  the  forehead,  which  was 
discoloured  by  the  powder.  There  was  no  dagger 
wound.  The  medal  found  on  it  at  Tsarskoe  Selo 


THE  BALLET  UNDER  NEW  REGIME  137 

has  been  lost.     It  was  taken  off  by  the  soldiers.         1917 
The    disfigurement    of    the    face    was    caused    by 
grapnels  used  in  dragging  the  corpse  out  of  the 
water. 

Our    Ambassador,    looking    better,    was    more  Wednesday 
pleased  with  the  situation.     He  had  good  news  of 
the  Dvinsk-Riga  front  and  of  the  moral  of  the 
troops  there. 

Crossing  the  Champs  de  Mars,  watched  the 
soldiers  digging  the  graves  for  the  victims. 

In  the  afternoon  had  another  row  with  an 
iswoscbik,  who  was  on  the  hotel  rank  and  refused 
to  take  me.  There  was  a  great  crowd.  I  said  in 
French  to  a  lady  who  was  there  that  I  had  lived 
twenty  years  in  Republican  France,  and  that  there 
cab-drivers  were  the  servants  of  the  public.  She 
translated  this  to  the  crowd,  and  the  man  was 
sent  off  the  rank. 

As  I  happened  to  be  at  the  last  representation  of 
the  Imperial  ballet,  I  went  this  evening  to  the  first 
representation  of  the  ballet  under  the  new  order. 
I  was  there  before  the  curtain  went  up,  at  7,  an 
hour  earlier  than  formerly.  In  the  ground  floor 
Imperial  stage  box  on  the  left,  where  the  Grand 
Dukes  always  sat,  were  several  lady  dancers  and 
one  man.  Over  their  head,  in  the  first  box,  where 
the  children  of  the  Grand  Dukes  used  to  go,  were 
a  Jew  and  a  Jewess.  The  opposite  ground-floor 
stage  box  was  empty.  The  box  over  that — 
formerly  reserved  for  members  of  the  Imperial 
household — was  occupied  by  eleven  people  and  a 
child  all  strangers  to  each  other !  The  great 


138  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Imperial  box  in  the  centre  of  the  grand  tier  was 
unoccupied  until  the  second  entr'acte,  when  a  man 
and  woman  of  the  people  came  and  sat  in  it. 
It  disgusted  me.  The  "  Marseillaise  "  was  played 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  act  and  encored. 
At  the  third  act  the  turning  down  of  the  lights 
before  the  conductor  took  his  place  obviated 
•  another  repetition  of  the  "  Marseillaise."  In  the 
ballet  of  the  "  Sleeping  Beauty,"  a  King  and  Queen 
and  a  Princess — danced  by  Smirnova — all  wore 
crowns  !  I  left  at  9.15  before  it  was  over,  and 
easily  found  an  izvoschik  ;  there  are  plenty  now 
on  the  streets. 

I  was  told  that  at  the  end  a  man  with  long  hair 
and  a  red  tie  and  a  soldier  harangued  the  house 
from   the  Imperial   stage   box  on   the   first   floor. 
Many  people  went  on  to  the  stage  and  mixed  with 
the  dancers  and  sang  the  "  Marseillaise." 
Thursday,          Saw  a  regiment  marching  to  the  Winter  Palace 
square    to    see    General    Kornilov,    the    Military 
Governor   of    Petrograd.     I   heard   that   Guchkov 
has  left  for  Stavka  to  settle  the  trouble  about  the 
Grand  Duke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich,  who  refuses  to 
leave,  insisting  that  he  is  just  as  much  a  general 
as   the   others,   and   that   although  his   command 
has  been  taken  away,  he  is  none  the  less  a  general 
— that    the    Empress    exclaimed,    "  How    can    I 
believe  what  they  say  about  Voyeikov,  when  all 
they  say  about  me  is  false  ?  "  —that  she  suffers 
much  from  oppression  on  the  chest  and  has  con- 
stantly to  sit  down  while  talking — that  the  Grand 
Duke  Alexei  runs  about  everywhere,  and  had  a 


GRAND  DUCHESS  VLADIMIR  ARRESTED  139 

French  lesson  this  afternoon  with  his  tutor.     I  have        1917 
direct  news  from  the  palace. 

The    newspapers    this    morning    announce    the  Friday, 
sequestration  of  the  apanages  and  lands  belonging  JJ^  init-  ' 
to  the  Imperial  family,  and — what  is  still  worse —  mate  friend 
the  arrest  of  the  Grand  Duchess  in  her  villa  at  j^uchels 
Kislovodsk  in  the  Caucasus.     Their  story  is  that  Vladimir. 
she  had  given  a  letter  for  her  son  Boris  to  a  general 
who  was  going  to  Stavka  ;    that  she  had  written 
to  say  the   only  hope  for  Russia  was  in  Nicolai 
Nicolaievich.     The  general  was  arrested  en  route, 
and  the  letter  was  found. 

I  am  terribly  upset,  but  trying  not  to  worry 
about  it,  because  there  have  been  many  temporary 
arrests,  and  after  an  explanation  the  persons 
arrested  have  been  set  free.  I  feel  quite  sure  that 
she  has  done  nothing  for  which  she  can  be  attacked. 

(Later.)  No  further  news  of  the  Grand  Duchess. 
As  long  as  she  is  under  arrest  no  one  can  see  her, 
otherwise  I  would  have  gone  to  the  Caucasus, 
but  if  she  is  let  out  I  shall  go  at  once.  Nothing  in 
the  newspapers  about  Boris's  arrest  last  night. 
I  seem  to  have  been  the  only  person  who  knew, 
as  it  was  a  lady  friend  of  his  who  telephoned  me. 
Nicolai  Nicolaievich,  with  Vladdy  and  Nicky  Orlov 
in  his  train,  has  left  Stavka  for  the  Crimea.  He  is 
not  even  allowed  to  fight.  Olga  Orlov  came  on  in 
another  train  with  Grand  Duchess  Nicolai  and  her 
two  nieces  to  Kiev,  where  they  went  to  a  convent, 
but  there  is  no  news  yet  whether  they  have  joined 
the  others  in  the  Crimea. 

All  the  news  from  the  Russian  Front  is  better, 


140  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  and  the  Army  seems  gradually  coming  round  to 
order,  and  I  think  will  sooner  or  later  work  entirely 
with  the  Provisional  Government  against  the 
ultra-Reds.  What  is  most  needed  is  a  head — it 
don't  matter  who  ! 

The  cruellest  thing  the  Emperor  did  to  his  country 
was  to  abdicate  for  the  Grand  Duke  Alexei.  He 
had  no  right  to  do  it,  and  if  it  had  not  been  done 
everything  would  have  gone  much  more  easily  and 
smoothly  for  Russia.  I  think  the  day  is  not  far  off 
when  the  Army  and  the  people,  excited  by  German 
influence,  will  come  to  loggerheads  ;  then  there 
will  be  a  bloody  carnage.  I  shall  not  go  out 
those  days. 

Dorothy  Radziwill  came  back  full  of  potins, 
how  the  French  hated  the  English,  etc.  If  she 
don't  take  care  she  will  get  deported,  as  this 
Government  is  most  anti-German  and  will  stand  no 
nonsense. 

I  know  the  officer  in  charge  at  Tsarskoe  Selo 
and  so  I  hear  what  is  going  on.  The  Emperor 
always  thought  they  would  be  allowed  to  stay  in 
Livadia  or  leave  the  country.  God  only  knows 
what  will  become  of  them.  The  Kyrills  are  in  a 
great  state.  Poor  things !  Their  English  nurse 
has  typhoid  fever,  and  no  one  to  take  her  place. 
Their  front  door  is  still  barricaded  and  has  a  red 
flag.  Two  regiments  with  bands  playing  the 
"  Marseillaise,"  one  marching  up  the  Nevski  and 
the  other  in  the  opposite  direction,  have  just  passed, 
all  in  perfect  order — a  comfort  to  see  after  the 
absence  of  order  of  ten  days.  The  burial  of  the 


FELIX  YUSUPOV  141 

victims  may  cause  disturbances  and  we  are  advised        1917 
to  stay  in  that  day,  but  I  shall  just  go  and  have 
a  look. 

Good-bye,  dear,  I  have  written  instructions,  if 
anything  happens  to  me  here,  that  all  my  papers 
are  to  be  sent  to  you. 

Felix  Yusupov  has  just  been  to  see  me  ;   he  says  Saturday, 
the  Emperor  and  family  ought  to  be  sent  away  for      ar>  3I' 
the  safety  of  Russia,  and  should  be  kept  under 
surveillance  till  the  end  of  the  war ;  otherwise,  he 
said,  there  would  always  be  the  fear  of  Her  corre- 
sponding with  Germany. 

Felix  is  working  with  the  Army  here  to  promote 
order  and  discipline.  Things  seem  to  be  going 
better,  and  there  is  hope  that  the  Army,  once 
returned  to  order,  will  keep  in  with  the  Government, 
and  have  no  truck  with  the  workmen — which  is 
all  one  can  ask. 

There  is  a  question  of  the  "  Boatmen's  Volga 
Song "  being  made  the  National  Anthem.  The 
red  flags  get  fewer  each  day ;  to  me  they  are  most 
irritating — surely  the  Russian  tricolour  is  quite 
good  enough. 

Grand  Duke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich  went  in  his 
train  from  Tiflis  to  Stavka.  The  Government 
comes  back  to-night.  If  they  can  only  keep  in  ! 
I  think  they  will  now. 

I  have  so  much  to  write  about  but  I  can't  keep 
my  thoughts  together.  Felix's  visit  has  switched 
me  off.  I  must  go  to  the  Embassy  now.  I  write 
down  everything  I  hear,  and — once  it's  written — 
am  like  a  hen  with  her  egg  ;  I  forget  all  about  it. 


142  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  I  believe  no  letter  can  be  forwarded  either  to  or 

from    the    Imperial   family.     They   still   pray   for 
Empress  Marie  in  the  Kiev  churches. 

The  regiments  march  about  the  town  with  bands 
playing  the  "  Marseillaise  "  and  red  banners  with 
"  War  to  a  Victorious  Finish."  The  authorities 
are  being  very  clever  about  the  burial  of  the  victims. 
While  the  dead  civilians  are  being  buried  quickly 
and  quietly,  the  dead  police  are  left.  There  can  be 
no  public  funeral  for  the  police,  the  men  who  were 
the  cause  of  everything. 

Sunday,  I  met  to-day  Prince  Belosselski-Belozerski,  father 

April  i.    D.  of    princess  Qlga  Orlov.      He   told   me   that   the 

Grand  Duke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich,  accompanied 
by  Prince  Vladimir  Orlov  and  his  son  Nikky,  had 
come  in  his  train  from  Tiflis  to  Stavka,  and  that  the 
Grand  Duchess  Anastasie  Michailovna,  accompanied 
by  her  two  nieces  (the  youngest  fiancee  to  Nikky 
Orlov)  and  Princess  Olga  Orlov,  had  gone  to  a 
convent. 

The  Grand  Duke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich  had  left 
Stavka  for  the  Crimea.  There  was  no  news  of  the 
ladies. 

The  Ministers,  with  the  exception  of  Prince 
Lvov,  went  on  Friday  to  Stavka  and  return  to 
Petrograd  to-morrow,  Monday  night,  April  2. 

I  had  often  wondered  how  such  an  excellent 
Government  had  been  called  together  when  the 
Duma  was  in  a  state  of  absolute  chaos  and  every- 
body surexcite.  Prince  Belosselski-Belozerski  told 
me  the  facts  which  he  had  from  an  unimpeachable 
source  : 


CONSTITUTION  FOR  RUSSIA          143 

Rodzianko  in  the  month  of  December  had 
arranged  with  the  Emperor  that  a  Constitution 
should  be  given  to  Russia.  A  list  of  Ministers  was 
drawn  up,  and  an  order  was  given  at  the  Winter 
Palace  to  prepare  the  State  rooms  for  the  occasion 
of  the  announcement  and  the  reception  of  the  Duma 
on  Tuesday,  December  19 — December  6  (O.S.)— 
St.  Nicolas,  the  Emperor's  name-day.  When 
the  Empress  was  told  what  he  intended  to  do 
she  sent  him  off  to  the  Front.  He  left  on  Sunday, 
December  17.  The  list  of  Ministers  who  were  to 
have  been  the  first  under  the  New  Constitution  is 
that  of  the  Provisional  Government  of  to-day. 

Bennett,  who  has  been  stud-groom  thirty-seven 
years  in  the  service  of  the  Empress  Marie,  and  who 
lives  in  the  Anitchkov  Palace,  received  an  order 
from  the  members  of  the  Duma  to  be  prepared  to 
leave  the  palace  on  April  14.  The  next  day  he  was 
told  he  could  stay  on  and  that  his  wages  would 
continue  to  be  paid  to  him.*  There  are  two 
Italians  and  one  Frenchman  also  under  the  same 
conditions. 

I  dined  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  last  night,  on  the  ground  Narrative 
floor  of  the  Lycet,  with  the  officer  who  is  responsible 
for  the  safety  of  their  Majesties.  Our  dinner, 
which  was  the  same  as  that  served  to  the  Emperor 
and  the  suite,  was  brought  from  the  palace,  a 
couple  of  hundred  yards  away,  and  warmed  up 
here. 

*  On  his  leaving  Russia  (November  9,  1917)  the  Government 
paid  him,  in  lieu  of  notice,  the  sum  agreed  upon  in  the  original 
contract  with  the  Empress-Mother. 


H4  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  The  officers  in  attendance  are  allowed  a  bottle  of 

wine  a  day,  and  Count  Benckendorff  gives  the 
order  for  brandy.  We  had  Hennessey  brandy 
bottled  1909.  All  the  wine  in  the  Imperial  cellars 
is  bottled  in  Russia  ;  the  bottles  have  the  Imperial 
arms  in  the  glass. 

The  Grand  Duchesses  Olga  and  Tatiana  came 
downstairs  yesterday  for  the  first  time,  and  went 
to  vespers  in  the  palace  chapel ;  their  father  gave 
an  arm  to  each.  The  Grand  Duchess  Marie  is 
dangerously  ill  with  pneumonia  on  the  top  of 
measles.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  have  been  all 
day  with  her.  She  could  only  breathe  with  oxygen- 
bags.  Professor  Federov  came  from  Petrograd  to 
see  her.  The  two  doctors  of  the  palace  and  the 
Swiss  tutor  invited  the  professor  and  the  officer 
accompanying  him  to  lunch  in  their  rooms,  which 
they  did.  This  is  against  the  rules. 

The  Grand  Duke  Alexei  is  quite  well  and  has 
his  French  lessons.  Mr.  Gibbs,  the  English  tutor, 
who  was  away  when  the  family  was  arrested,  had 
asked  permission  to  go  into  the  palace ;  this  had 
been  refused.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  dine  in 
the  big  playroom  of  the  Grand  Duke  Alexei  on 
the  first  floor.  The  dinner-tables  are  taken  in 
there  all  ready  laid.  The  Empress  hardly  eats 
anything,  only  chicken.  There  is  only  one  dinner 
cooked  for  everybody  in  the  palace.  The  suite, 
which  consists  of  Madame  Narischkine,  Count 
and  Countess  Benckendorff,  and  her  son  Prince 
Dolgorukov  and  the  two  demoiselles  cfhonneur, 
dine  and  live  on  the  first  floor  of  the  right 


DESTITUTION  OF  IMPERIAL  FAMILY    145 

wing,  over  the  apartments  of  the  Grand  Duchess        1917 
Sergei. 

The  servants,  who  number  163,  sent  a  deputation 
to  the  officer  in  charge  to  know  whether  they  are  to 
be  kept  as  prisoners  all  the  time  the  Emperor  is 
there.  A  suggestion  has  been  sent  to  the  Minister 
of  War  that  the  servants  from  the  other  palaces 
should  take  their  places  at  the  end  of  a  month,  and 
then  every  month  they  should  be  changed.  Many 
of  these  servants  are  married  and  have  their  families 
living  out  of  the  palace.  The  actual  body-servants 
of  the  family  were  not  included  in  the  deputation. 

The  Emperor  asked  to  be  allowed  to  see  Prince 
Victor  Kotchubey,  the  head  of  the  Apanages,  in 
order  to  put  the  financial  question  on  some  sort  of 
basis.  There  is  no  money  at  all  in  the  palace. 
In  course  of  conversation  Count  Benckendorff  said 
the  Emperor  had  no  money  abroad,  and  that  the 
private  fortune,  including  that  of  the  children, 
amounted  to  very  little. 

The  Tsarskoe  Selo  municipal  authorities  are  as 
ultra-Red  as  Versailles  in  1789.  They  had  planned 
and  had  begun  to  dig  a  grave  in  the  large  square 
before  the  Old  Palace,  but  a  telephone  message  to 
the  War  Office  brought  a  general  by  the  next  train 
from  Petrograd  who  forbade  it.  The  Empress  was 
grateful  that  this  had  been  done. 

The  Emperor  is  a  fatalist.  He  is  so  pleased  to 
be  with  his  children,  and  to  have  the  heavy  burden 
of  responsibility  he  had  inherited  from  his  father 
lifted  from  his  shoulders,  that  he  does  not  realise 
the  great  danger  both  he  and  the  Empress  will  run 

K 


146  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  when  the  State  trials  of  the  former  Ministers  begin. 
The  uneducated  masses  will  never  be  able  to  dis- 
tinguish between  the  treasonable  designs  of  the 
Ministers  and  the  Emperor's  unconscious  acquies- 
cence, or  realise  his  great  love  of  Russia.  He  still 
thinks  he  will  be  allowed  to  leave  as  soon  as  the 
daughters  have  recovered.  He  would  like  to  go  to 
Norway. 

Every  three  days  the  regiment  which  guards  them 
is  changed  for  another  Tsarskoe  Selo  regiment,  and 
the  officer  who  came  to-day  asked  that  he  should 
be  allowed  to  see  those  guards,  as  he  is  respon- 
sible for  their  safety  and  must  know  who  is  in  the 
palace.  It  is  now  arranged  that  on  changing  guard 
the  officer  will  be  presented  to  the  Emperor — this 
has  become  a  rule. 

Each  time  the  guard  is  changed  there  is  a  regular 
scrimmage  amongst  the  soldiers  as  to  who  should 
be  on  guard  in  the  palace  and  who  should  be  outside 
in  the  park.  Every  one  desires  to  be  near  the 
Emperor,  such  is  the  love  of  the  Russian  for  his 

Little  Father. 

«, 

Thursday,  The  burial  procession  of  the  victims  of  the  Revo- 
April  5-  lution  in  the  Champ  de  Mars  began  to  pass  the  end 
of  Michail  Street  along  the  Nevski  at  8.40.  During 
the  next  three  hours  I  saw  only  four  coffins  go  by, 
and  there  were  in  all  only  twelve  coffins  in  that 
procession  which  passed  up  the  Nevski.  An  auto- 
mobile with  four  people  in  it  was  in  the  procession  ; 
it  contained  the  Grandmother  of  the  Revolution. 
Opposite  the  Municipal  Duma  three  stripling 
Militia  youths  rushed  up  to  it  and  stopped  it.  An 


BURIAL  OF  VICTIMS  147 

officer  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  next  company        1917 
quickly  walked  up  to  them,  very  red  in  the  face, 
stamped  his  foot,  and  ordered  them  off. 

The  procession  was  organised  extraordinarily 
well  in  companies,  and  to  regulate  the  distances 
between  them  there  were  men  or  women  carry- 
ing small  white  flags  on  poles  who  signalled  down 
the  line  for  advancing  or  halting.  At  times  the 
procession  would  be  on  only  one  side  of  the  Nevski, 
but  generally  there  were  distinct  companies  on 
either  side  who  halted  or  advanced  simultaneously. 
At  the  end  of  the  Michail  Street  seven  or  eight 
onlookers  linked  together  and  joined  in  behind  the 
different  companies.  This  I  afterwards  learnt  had 
been  allowed,  and  was  announced  in  the  news- 
papers. I  regret  not  knowing  it,  as  I  would  have 
joined  them. 

There  were  many  bands  ;  I  only  heard  played 
the  "  Marseillaise  "  and  Chopin's  "  Funeral  March." 
The  people  constantly  sang  a  song  with  a  simple, 
harmonious  tune  but  sad,  and  from  time  to  time 
the  Prayers  for  the  Dead  were  chanted.  When 
the  captains  of  the  different  companies  gave  the 
order  all  heads  were  uncovered.  Some  one  in  the 
procession  called  out  to  a  man  in  the  crowd  near 
me  to  uncover. 

The  Peter-Paul  Fortress  cannon  were  fired  for 
each  coffin  placed  in  the  grave.  I  believe  many  of 
them  were  empty,  the  relatives  and  friends  having 
already  buried  their  own  dead.  Sometimes  a  simple 
plank  of  wood  was  carried  alongside  of  the  coffins 
to  represent  another  victim  who  had  already  been 


148  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  buried.  The  dead  were  not  all  carried  together,  but 
in  different  parts  of  the  procession  as  they  happened 
to  come  from  the  different  quarters  of  the  town. 

Never  have  I  seen  such  perfect  order,  nor  a 
procession  or  demonstration  of  people  better  orga- 
nised. The  proceedings  from  beginning  to  end  bear 
striking  witness  to  the  self-control  of  the  Petrograd 
populace.  No  trams,  carriages,  or  sledges  were 
allowed  all  day.  The  procession  went  on  until  5 
in  the  evening.  It  snowed  fitfully  in  the  morning, 
and  afterwards  the  thermometer  marked  48°  Fahren- 
heit— without  sunshine.  The  streets  in  a  terrible 
state  from  the  thaw. 

Friday,  I  went  this  morning  to  visit  the  common  grave  on 

April  6.   D.  tjie  QjianlpS  je  Mars>  which  is  quite  close  to  the 

Embassy.  The  coffins  were  still  uncovered.  I 
counted  over  150.  I  believe  there  were  in  all  168 — 
anyhow,  there  were  not  200.  Cement  was  all  ready 
to  be  put  over  them,  and  soldiers  were  placing 
planks  along,  across  the  coffins.  A  woman  kneeling 
by  a  coffin,  which  she  frequently  kissed,  was  saying 
her  prayers  and  crossing  herself.  I  was  surprised 
at  no  part  being  taken  by  the  clergy  on  the  route, 
but  heard  afterwards  that  they  had  not  been  invited 
to  attend,  as  they  had  allowed  machine-guns  to  be 
placed  by  the  police  on  several  churches. 

To  the  Embassy,  to  know  at  what  time  the 
deputation  of  Cossacks  was  coming.  At  noon, 
as  they  had  not  come,  the  Ambassador  went  to  the 
Foreign  Office  to  see  Miliukov,  and  was  back  in 
half  an  hour.  He  had  seen  the  Cossacks  in  the 
Winter  Palace  square.  Presently  from  the  Em- 


ESTHONIAN  DEMONSTRATION       149 

bassy  windows  we  saw  them  coming  down  the  1917 
Millionaia  on  their  way  to  the  grave.  On  reaching 
it  they  wheeled  round,  advanced  towards  the 
Embassy,  and  halting  at  the  Suvarov  Monument 
before  the  side  windows  hung  a  wreath  on  the  neck 
of  the  statue.  Proceeding  to  the  Neva  front, 
they  first  defiled  before,  and  then  drew  up  facing, 
the  Ambassador,  who,  with  the  Embassy  Staff, 
was  on  the  balcony.  A  deputation  then  came  up. 

Guy  Colebrooke  told  me  he  had  heard  that,  when  Sunday, 
I  set  fire  to  my  room  on  Easter  Eve  a  year  ago,  ^^  8*   D> 
I  had  been  burning  political  papers.     Doux  pays  ! 
How  the  Germanophils  hate  me  ! 

About  noon  walked  down  the  Nevski  to  see  the 
Esthonian  demonstration  of  75,000  people  with 
their  national  flag — blue,  black,  and  white.  Heard 
that  the  food  question  was  getting  very  acute, 
chiefly  because  of  the  arrival  of  so  many  people 
out  of  work  in  Petrograd,  and  of  all  the  Belgian 
glass-workers  from  the  Donetz. 

The  Government,  excellent  though  it  is,  is  not  Monday, 
strong  enough  for  the  situation.     God  only  knows  APnl9-    L- 
how  things  will  turn  out. 

We  hear  the  suite  of  the  Emperor  has  been 
moved  from  his  palace  to  the  Old  Palace  at  Tsarskoe 
Selo,  and  some  people  jump  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  family  have  been  taken  away,  but  I  doubt  it 
—where  to  ?  The  newspapers  all  publish  what 
they  like. 

I  am  leaving  on  Wednesday,  April  n,  for  Kis- 
lovodsk in  the  Caucasus,  in  hopes  of  seeing  the 
Grand  Duchess.  Even  if  I  don't  see  her,  she  will 


ISO  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  know  that  I  have  made  the  effort.  It's  a  long 
journey — three  nights  in  the  train  ;  and  I  fear 
there  is  complete  anarchy  on  the  railways,  the 
soldiers  insisting  on  going  first  class  without  paying. 
But  I  feel,  after  all  her  kindness  to  me,  it  is  the 
least  I  can  do.  I  shall  come  back  directly.  Nobody 
but  Knorring  *  knows  I  am  going  ;  I  shall  not  tell 
any  one,  not  even  the  Ambassador.  I  fear  I  might 
do  her  harm  ;  but  I  have  heard  she  feels  deserted, 
and  also  that  she  has  had  a  bad  heart  attack. 

We  think  that  she  is  no  longer  under  arrest,  as 
Etter  has  telegraphed  to  his  sister-in-law,  "  Beau 
temps :  nous  nous  promenons"  which  makes  us 
think  qu'elle  est  reldchee. 

Her  automobiles  have  not  been  taken,  but  it  is 
very  difficult  to  keep  them  from  the  Revolutionaries. 
To-day  I  heard  that  Kerenski,  the  Minister  of 
Justice,  was  trying  to  get  an  automobile  for  him- 
self— commandeering,  not  stealing — so  I  have  let 
Knorring  know.  By  supplying  his  want  it  might 
save  her  other  motor-cars  from  being  stolen,  and 
might  also  help  her  later  on.  Everybody's  auto- 
mobiles were  taken  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  not  one  has  been  returned. 

I  hear  that  all  the  palaces  which  were  inherited 
by  the  Imperial  family  have  been  made  national 
property — like  the  Winter  Palace,  the  Tsarskoe 
Selo  palaces,  Peterhof  and  Oranienbaum ;  but 
palaces  built  or  bought  by  the  Imperial  family 
will  continue  to  belong  to  them.  The  Apanages 
are  sequestrated  for  agrarian  purposes,  and  a  civil 
*  Equerry  to  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir. 


ANARCHY  AMONG  WORKING  CLASSES    151 

list   is   to   be   made.     The   proposed   amount   for        1917 
Grand    Dukes    and    Grand    Duchesses    is    to    be 
Rs.  30,0000     per     year,     and     for     the     Princes, 
Rs. 1 5,000  per  year.     Princes  are  the  third  genera- 
tion from  the  Emperor. 

The  people  will  not  work — sometimes  I  think  a 
few  months  under  the  Prussian  "  iron  heel "  would 
do  them  good  ;  the  soldiers'  attitude  is  improving 
slightly.  The  working  classes  are  in  a  state  of 
absolute  anarchy.  I  do  not  know  what  will  happen 
if  the  power  goes  to  the  Soviets.  The  work- 
people express  violent  hatred  of  the  English. 

It  is  all  very  perplexing,  very  sad,  and  extremely 
worrying.  One  is  anxious  without  knowing  why. 
The  English  newspapers  about  the  Revolution 
have  not  arrived  ;  it  will  be  interesting  to  read 
them.  A  month  ago  to-day  was  the  bad  day. 
What  a  day  !  When  shall  I  ever  leave  this  country 
or  see  you  or  Paris  again  ! 

Sergei  Obolenski  came  to  see  me  and  yesterday  Tuesday 
I  had  luncheon  with  them.     He  is  and  looks  ill;  Apn 
but  he  has  passed  the  medical  examination  and  is 
now  waiting  for  an  order  to  go  to  the  Crimea. 
He  is  as  charming  as  ever. 

Things  go  on  vaguely,  but  as  long  as  this  Govern- 
ment keeps  in  it  is  all  we  ask.  I  fear  Milyukov 
will  leave — better  perhaps  for  those  that  remain, 
though  it  is  always  a  bother  to  have  to  throw 
some  one  overboard. 

Neither  the  Emperor  nor  his  family  now  have  a 
penny  ;  all  their  money  is  stopped.  There's  not  a 
5-rouble  note  in  the  palace  of  Tsarskoe  Selo,  so 


152  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        that  they  are  all  completely  in  the  hands  of  the 
Government. 

The  Council  of  Workmen  and  Soldiers  consists  of 
people  with  false  Russian  names,  and  is  full  of 
German  agents.  Altogether  things  are  not  very 
bright. 

April  20.  L.  I  have  been  away  mysteriously.  Without  telling 
anybody  I  rushed  off  to  Kislovodsk  in  the  Caucasus 
to  see  my  Grand  Duchess.  As  you  know,  she  has 
always  been  more  than  kind  to  me,  and  I  wanted 
to  show  her  that  my  devotion  could  be  practical. 
Nobody  from  Petrograd  had  been  to  see  her,  and 
she  was  much  touched. 

When  I  walked  into  her  villa  she  was  at  luncheon. 
She  was  so  pleased  to  see  me  that  all  the  bothers 
of  my  journey  were  forgotten.  The  soldiers  and 
officers  who  guard  her  are  well-mannered,  but 
three  weeks  before  I  got  there  the  "  Red  "  Town 
Committee — which,  like  all  the  provincial  ones,  is 
most  virulent — came  into  her  bedroom  at  2.30  a.m. 
to  read  the  mandat  d'arret ;  and  afterwards  she  had 
fainting  fits  and  was  unconscious  for  hours.  She 
is  better  now,  and  I  did  not  find  her  looking  too  ill. 
I  had  the  most  awful  journey — seventy-eight  hours, 
and  twenty  hours  late  ;  but  I  didn't  mind,  as  I 
only  thought  of  getting  there.  Four  nights  in  the 
train,  and  no  room  to  go  to  on  arrival !  We  were 
four  people  in  the  carriage  all  the  way — the  corridor 
filled  with  twenty-five  deserters  from  the  Front. 

I  arrived  in  Kislovodsk  at  3  a.m.  on  Easter 
morning,  and,  having  no  inn  to  go  to,  rushed  off  to 
church  in  time  to  see  the  peasants'  Easter  food 


GRAND  DUCHESS  VLADIMIR         153 

blessed    outside    the    church,    with    daylight    just        1917 
glimmering,  and  the  bells  ringing  wildly  in  beautiful 
spring  weather. 

When  I  left  Petrograd  I  did  not  know  if  I  should 
be  allowed  to  see  her.  I  had  intended  to  roder 
round  the  villa  to  let  her  know  I  had  come,  but  on 
Easter  Day  she  was  allowed  to  receive,  and  the 
next  day  there  was  a  nice  officer  who  let  me  in. 
Naturally  the  soldiers  are  devoted  to  her.  They 
sent  her  an  Easter  card,  and  the  officers  too.  All 
the  same,  it  is  difficult  for  the  daughter-in-law  of 
Alexander  II  to  imagine  herself  a  prisoner  !  Elle 
rfest  fas  resignee  du  tout.  She  told  me  she  thought 
of  the  "  Ballad  of  Reading  Gaol "  all  the  time  ! 
She  knew  absolutely  nothing  of  what  has  been 
going  on  in  Russia. 

The  only  thing  for  the  family  is  to  lie  low  for 
the  moment,  so  that  the  Provisional  Government 
should  not  be  put  in  a  position  to  be  attacked  by 
the  Workmen's  Committee.  I  feel  that  in  the  end 
it  won't  be  so  bad  for  them  as  most  people  think, 
but  the  Government  is  obliged  to  give  in  to  this 
bloody  Red  Committee  in  order  to  exist. 

On  my  advice  she  has  given  up  the  idea  of  going 
to  the  Crimea.  The  lease  of  her  Kislovodsk  house 
is  up,  and  she  had  a  house  offered  her  in  the  Crimea, 
but  there  are  too  many  of  the  Imperial  family  there 
already,  and,  if  she  is  to  move,  surely  it  is  better 
to  go  towards  liberty,  which  can  only  be  through 
Finland.  I  have  since  heard  that  she  applied  to 
go  to  a  sanatorium  in  Finland,  which  has  been 
refused,  so  I  expect  she  will  have  to  move  in  to 


154  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Andre's  villa  at  Kislovodsk.  They  will  stay  on 
there  together. 

On  Easter  Monday  she  with  her  son  and  Etter 
and  the  officer  on  guard,  Mademoiselle  Olive  and 
I,  went  in  three  sledges  for  a  drive.  Very  pretty 
country,  and  the  day  warm. 

I  left  the  same  night,  as  we  thought  my  staying  on 
might  attract  notice.  Anyhow,  I  am  delighted  to 
have  been  able  to  see  her. 

The  journey  back  to  Petrograd  took  only  three 
nights ;  the  train  was  six  hours  late.  It  was 
summer  there,  but  here  it  is  cold  and  disagreeable. 
I  went  straight  to  the  hotel,  had  a  bath,  and  drove 
to  the  Embassy  to  tell  the  Ambassador  I  had  been 
to  the  Caucasus.  He  is  always  delightful  and  so 
quick,  and  quite  understood  my  going  away 
without  letting  him  know  where  I  was  going,  as 
I  did  not  want  to  make  him  a  party  to  my  visit. 

The  situation  has  not  changed  for  the  better 
in  my  absence.  It  is  all  very  bad  and  hopeless. 
The  spirit  of  the  Fleet  is  abominable.  They  have 
nearly  all  their  officers  locked  up,  and  when 
Guchkov  went  there  last  week  they  would  not 
release  them  for  him,  and  he  had  to  leave  hurriedly. 
In  1905  the  actual  state  of  affairs  was  worse  during 
six  weeks — no  electric  light,  no  railways,  no  post, 
no  telegrams.  The  Emperor,  cut  off  in  Peterhof, 
was  still  all-powerful — although  the  Ministers  had 
to  sledge  across  the  ice  from  the  Finland  side  or 
to  go  in  boats  to  see  him,  because  the  Army  was  on 
the  side  of  order.  Now  there  are  nearly  two 
million  deserters  from  the  Army.  Impossible  to 


LABOUR  MEMBERS  AT  PETROGRAD   155 

make  an  offensive,  and  God  alone  knows  if  they  will  1917 
keep  the  defensive.  Altogether  it  is  as  bad  as  it 
can  be,  but  in  Russia  the  unexpected  always 
happens  and  Witte  in  1905  gave  the  Reds  their 
heads,  and  when  the  people  got  tired  of  them 
things  arranged  themselves  ;  but  he  had  the  Army 
with  him. 

The  English  Labour  Members  are  in  this  hotel, 
and  a  great  success  ;  the  Ambassador  likes  them  ; 
they  are  horrified  at  the  present  condition  of  things. 
Will  Thome  and  Kerenski  dined  at  the  Embassy 
last  night.  Albert  Thomas  arrived  to-day.  The 
Ambassador  is  much  worried.  The  Provisional 
Government  is  not  strong,  and  has  to  give  in  to 
the  Soviet,  which  really  ought  not  to  exist.  My 
news  yesterday  does  not  show  any  change  in  the  ( 
position,  I  regret  to  say.  Whereas  every  one 
curses  and  hates  the  Empress,  most  pity  the 
Emperor.  The  actual  Government  is  what  every 
one  wanted,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  Em- 
peror's abdication  for  his  son,  there  need  never  have 
been  any  question  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Workmen's 
Council ;  whereas  now  it  is  difficult  to  separate  in 
one's  mind — and  especially  for  those  who  suffer  from 
it  like  the  Grand  Duchess — the  nominal  Government 
and  the  Soviet  which  terrorises  them.  I  think  it 
will  end  in  bloodshed. 

A  man  has  just  been  to  see  me  who  has  a  large 
munition  factory,  and  he  tells  me  they  are  working 
better  now  on  shorter  hours  than  they  were  before 
on  the  longer  hours. 

The    Jews    are    working    openly   for    Germany. ) 


156  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        They  are  buying  up  house  property,  which  is  being 
sold  much  below  its  value  for  fear  of  worse  days. 

April  4.  D.  To  Tsarskoe  Selo  to-day  to  see  Grand  Duke  Paul 
and  get  news  of  his  nephew  Boris,  who  before  I  left 
was  under  arrest  in  his  English  cottage  in  the  park 
there.  It  is  impossible  to  see  or  communicate  with 
him.  He  had  excellent  news  of  his  son  Dmitri  in 
Persia.  Kerenski  had  been  to  see  the  Grand  Duke 
and  told  him  no  member  of  the  Imperial  family 
would  be  allowed  to  leave  Russia  till  the  end  of  the 
war. 

Sunday,  A   deputation    of   school-teachers   came   to   the 

Apnl  22.  D.  £m]3asSy  anc[  asked  for  His  Excellency,  who  went 
on  to  the  balcony.  Pares,  who  happened  to  be 
there,  translated  a  few  words  from  him  into 
Russian. 

The  Neva  has  at  last  begun  to  thaw  ;  there  is  an 
open  stream  twenty  yards  wide  along  this  bank — 
the  rest  remains  frozen. 

April  28.  L.  It  is  impossible  as  yet  to  realise  the  upheaval  of 
everything,  and  the  utter  sweeping  away  of  an 
Empire  in  forty-eight  hours.  Yet  this  has  hap- 
pened here,  and  with  hardly  any  bloodshed — about 
200  killed. 

Much  as  I  deplored  the  grave  errors  of  the 
Empress,  my  sympathy  is  always  with  monarchy — 
except  for  France  ;  there  the  people  are  logical — 
the  only  logical  nation  in  the  world.  But  for 
Russia  it  will  be  "  out  of  the  frying-pan  "  —to  go 
from  an  autocracy  to  a  republic.  The  two  extreme 
parties  would  equally  rob,  lie,  and  procrastinate. 
I  had  had  fever  for  five  days  with  a  bad 


LENIN  THE  AGENT  OF  GERMANY    157 

cough,  and  still  keep  my  room.      I  think  it  was        1917 
the  seven  nights  in  the  train  and  the  differences 
of  climate. 

Things  go  from  worse  to  worst :  God  alone 
knows  what  will  happen. 

All  the  aerodromes  are  being  moved  to  the  Black 
Sea — to  Kherson.  Their  removal  from  the  environs 
of  Petrograd  is  partly  due  to  the  fear  of  a  possible 
attack  by  the  German  Fleet,  but  principally  be- 
cause the  men  won't  work  here — all  the  aeroplane 
soldiers  are  mobilised  artisans. 

The  French  Ambassador  is  going  on  leave — not  to 
return,  I  am  sorry  to  hear.  Albert  Thomas  stays 
on  in  the  interim.  We  don't  know  yet  who  will 
eventually  be  nominated. 

I  was  just  between  my  abonnements  of  the 
New  Tork  Herald  and  the  Times,  so  have  been 
without  English  newspapers  describing  the  Revo- 
lution, except  one  of  March  17,  which  was 
ridiculously  inaccurate. 

In  front  of  the  Embassy  I  fell  out  of  a  tram —  JAprilso.  L. 
pushed  by  a  citizen  soldier — on  my  face  and  wrist,  I 
so  please  excuse  bad  writing.     Two  of  the  militia, 
who  since  the  Revolution  are  taking  the  place  of 
the  police,  helped  me  to  the  Embassy,  where  Lady 
Georgina  tied  up  my  wrist. 

The  German  agents  are  working  against  England. 
The  Ismailovski  Regiment  has  gone  over  to  Lenin, 
the  German  agent  here.  The  sailors  have  taken 
away  from  their  officers  the  right  to  wear  epaulettes. 

I  leave  Wednesday  for  the  Crimea  to  stay  with 
the  Obolenskis  at  Yalta.  I  am  delighted  to  leave 


158  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        this  disorderly  town,  but  shall  hate  missing  the 
street  fighting,  if  there  is  any. 

I  believe  the  King  of  Sweden  offered  a  home  to 
some  members  of  the  Imperial  family,  which  was 
really  kind.  Empress  Marie  is  furious  at  our 
Embassy's  not  sending  her  letters  to  Marlborough 
House.  She  cannot  understand  the  situation. 
Poor  thing  !  How  can  one  expect  her  to  ? 

The  palace  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  at 
Tsarskoe  Selo  has  been  perquisitionne.  This  is  what 
really  happened.  The  housekeeper  had  by  mistake 
left  the  electric  light  on  all  night.  The  military 
police  came  in.  Next  day  the  authorities  thought 
it  advisable  to  make  an  inventory  of  the  whole 
palace.  In  her  safe  was  found  a  book  which  the 
Red  newspapers  allege  is  a  German  cipher — the 
fools  !  They  have  since  had  to  admit  it  was  the 
key  to  the  working  of  the  safe,  which  had  only 
lately  been  put  in  and  which,  like  everything  else 
in  Petrograd,  was  "  made  in  Germany." 

To-day  I  have  seen  an  officer  who  went  to  Stavka 
with  Guchkov,  and  yesterday  the  Foreign  Office 
representative  who  works  there.  Both  told  me 
that  the  whole  Stavka  mourn  the  departure  of 
General  Hanbury- Williams. 

I  know  the  new  Minister  of  War.  I  hope  to 
get  my  business  through  when  things  are  settled. 
I  have  been  very  busy.  The  Minister  of  Finance, 
Terestchenko,  is  our  old  friend  from  the  south  of 
France,  so  I  hope  for  the  best. 

Saturday,          It  was   daylight   at   3.30  a.m.   when   my  train 
ay5'       '    reached  Semferopol  in  the  Crimea,  the  station  for 


AT  YALTA  159 

Yalta.  No  automobile  to  be  got  before  half-past  1917 
six  !  Walked  about  the  town,  watched  the  rooks 
building,  and  fed  them  with  bread.  I  left  at  7 
to  drive  fifty-five  miles  to  Yalta.  Over  the  I 
mountains  and  down  the  other  side,  through  woods 
of  wild  pear,  cherry,  and  crab-apple  in  blossom, 
with  the  blue  sea  at  my  feet.  At  Alushta,  on  the 
sea-shore,  had  breakfast.  The  lilac-trees  in  flower 
everywhere.  Arrived  at  the  Villa  Mordvina  10.30 
a.m.  and  received  by  Princess  Obolenski.  Sergei 
was  down  in  the  town. 

YALTA.     Here  I  am,  settled,  but  the  weather  Saturday, 
most  indifferent,  and  everything  a  fortnight  late  May  5>    L" 
because  of  this  awful  winter.     The  place  is  not 
nearly  so  pretty  as  Cannes,   or  Cap   Martin,   or 
Sicily,  but  it  has  its  charm.     It  reminds  me  of  the 
Territet  end  of  Lake  Geneva — not  a  bit  of  the 
French  Riviera. 

We  lead  the  simple  life— up  at  7  and  to  bed 
at  9.  Sergei  Obolenski  is  already  better  for  the 
change  and  rest.  The  villa  very  large,  clean, 
and  comfortable.  The  Empress  Marie  is  staying 
at  her  daughter's*  villa — eighty-three  people  in  all. 
One  does  not  hear  of  nor  see  them. 

Felix  Yusupov  is  expected  back  from  Petrograd 
any  day.  I  have  full  details  now  of  the  event, 
but  not  yet  from  himself.  It  was  he  who  killed 
the  "  Unmentionable."  Dmitri  Pavlovich's  declara- 
tion on  oath  was  quite  true.f 

*  Grand  Duchess  Xenia,  wife  of  Grand  Duke  Alexander 
Michailovich  and  mother  of  Princess  Felix  Yusupov. 
t  See  Dec.  31,  1916  (pp.  76-79). 


160  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  YALTA.     It  is  such  a  relief  to  be  in  the  sun- 

shine and  flowers  after  Petrograd.  I  am  leading 
a  quiet  life,  which  has  done  me  a  lot  of  good, 
and  think  I  shall  stay  here  a  month.  I  am  quite 
happy — my  hostess  is  charming,  and  I  have  a  few 
friends  in  the  town. 

An  entire  absence  of  hypocrisy  or  pretence 
makes  Russians  so  easy  to  live  with.  I  don't 
think  Latins  or  Anglo-Saxons  can  ever  understand 
Slavs.  Les  Slavs  se  comprennent. 

To-day  is  my  Grand  Duchess's  birthday,  and 
mine  to-morrow.  Last  year  I  spent  both  with 
her.  I  would  like  to  go  and  see  her  again,  but 
from  here  it  is  too  difficult,  and  the  cross-country 
railway  journey  too  complicated,  and  besides 
there  is  always  the  fear  of  doing  her  harm  by 
the  idea  of  any  communication  between  different 
members  of  the  family.  I  have  given  her  proof 
of  my  devotion  ;  now  there  would  only  be  my 
strong  desire  to  see  her  in  her  distress. 

Felix  Yusupov,  back  from  Petrograd,  comes 
here  this  afternoon. 

This  letter  is  going  to  Petrograd  with  Madame 
Terestchenko,  mother  of  the  Foreign  Minister. 
One  never  knows  now  whether  letters  arrive — 
that's  "  Liberty  "  ! 

A  few  nights  ago,  a  destroyer  seized  by  sailors 
at  Sebastopol  arrived  here  about  midnight.  After 
landing  they  commandeered  as  many  automobiles 
as  they  could  lay  hands  on  and  motored  to 
Ai  Todor,  where  the  Empress  Marie  is  staying  with 
her  daughter,  and  arrived  there  between  2  and  3 


VISIT  TO  DOWAGER  EMPRESS         161 

in  the  morning.     The  front  door  being  unlocked,        1917 
they  went  straight  to  the  upper  floor,  found  her 
bedroom,  went   in    and   ordered   her   out  of   bed. 
They  would  not  let 'her  maid  come  to  her.     She 
stood  up  behind  a  screen  in  her  night  attire  until 
the    "  perquisition "    was    completed.     A    woman 
whom    they   brought   with    them    ripped    up    the 
mattresses,    and    the    whole    room    was    searched 
from  ceiling  to  floor.     They  split  open  her  icons 
to  see  if  anything  were  hidden,  and  took  them 
away,    and    also    confiscated   her   Testament    and 
her   prescription    book,    and   all   the   letters    they 
could  find,  many  being  from  the  late  King  and 
Queen  of  Denmark.     This  occupied  nearly  three 
hours.     Several   articles   of   no   great   value   were 
missing    afterwards.     Then    they    went    into    her 
daughter's  room,  who  was  asleep  with  her  husband. 
They  made  him  get   out  of  bed  and  leave   the 
room,   and   put   a   sailor  with   a   gun   and   fixed 
bayonet  on  either  side  of  her  bed,  where  she  had 
to  stay. 

Afterwards  these  devils  went  on  to  the  Grand 
Duke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich.  He  was  already 
dressed  when  they  arrived,  received  them  at 
the  front  door,  and  said  the  villa  was  entirely 
at  their  disposal  to  search.  He  and  his  family 
went  into  the  garden.  Guards  were  placed  at  the 
doors  and  entrances  of  both  villas. 

YALTA.     Was  sitting  at  the  Cafe  Florens,  built  Thursday, 
out  over  the  sea — where  everybody  meets  in  the 
morning.     Across  the  road  is  the  confiserie,  also 
kept  by  Florens,  a  Frenchman  with  a  charming 

L 


162  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  wife  and  two  daughters.  Sergei  Dolgoruki  came  in 
with  his  sister,  Countess  Fersen  and  her  two 
children,  and  another  lady  to  whom  he  introduced 
me — his  wife — beautiful  and  full  of  charm.  They 
invited  me  to  their  villa  at  Mishor  next  week. 

Friday,  YALTA.     All    round    and    everywhere    there    is 

only  anxiety.  Countess  Betsy  Schuvalov  has 
just  arrived  from  Kislovodsk,  where  she  saw  the 
Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  most  days,  and  has 
brought  me  a  piteous  letter  from  her  in  which 
she  complains  most  bitterly  of  her  lot.  She 
has  not  been  out  of  her  house  for  more  than 
two  months.  As  she  has  moved  into  a  smaller 
house,  she  lives  entirely  in  one  bed-sitting  room. 
What  can  I  do  r  Surely  the  best  thing  is  to  do 
nothing ;  but  how  can  she  be  expected  to  take 
this  view,  never  in  her  life  having  been  denied 
anything  ? 

She  wants  me  to  go  from  here  to  the  Caucasus, 
but  in  her  interest  I  think  it  will  be  best  that 
I  should  go  first  to  Petrograd,  where  at  least  I 
shall  be  able  to  ascertain  the  exact  position  of  the 
family  during  my  absence.  At  this  distance  one 
hears  nothing  but  lies,  and  on  pent  se  rendre 
»  compte  de  rien. 

Quel  type  la  Comtesse  Betsy!  She  is  the  only 
energetic  Russian  I  have  ever  met,  and  would 
make  a  splendid  Dictator,  not  caring  a  damn  for 
any  one  !  To-day  she  goes  to  see  the  Empress 
Marie,  although  she  is  under  arrest. 

Wednesday,       YALTA.     To  visit  Princess  Bariatinski,  Countess 
'  Betsy's  sister,  for  many  years  head  of  the  Red  Cross 


REMINISCENCES  OF  1914  163 

in  Yalta,  who,  regardless  of  Bolshevik!  opposition,  1917 
,  has  stuck  courageously  to  her  post.  She  took  me 
round  the  various  Red  Cross  hospitals  in  Yalta. 
I  met  a  Russian  lady  who  had  been  sent  officially 
to  Germany  by  the  Russian  Red  Cross — of  which 
the  Empress  Marie  is  the  head — accompanied 
by  a  Danish  officer.  One  day,  while  waiting 
for  the  German  officials  to  show  her  over  the 
camps,  she  happened  to  stray  into  a  shed  used 
as  a  camp  bakery.  There,  to  her  horror,  she 
saw,  tied  before  the  ovens,  some  Russian  soldiers 
who,  for  some  misdemeanours,  were  being  par- 
roasted. 

I  recounted  to  her  what  I  saw  in  Paris,  on  the 
third  Sunday  in  September  1914,  after  the  Battle 
of  the  Marne.  The  Germans  had  retreated,  leaving 
their  wounded  on  the  field.  General  Gallieni,  with 
characteristic  kindness,  had  them  all  brought  to 
Paris.  At  that  time  I  was  going  every  day  to  the 
Val  de  Grace  Hospital  to  see  the  English  wounded, 
who  were  being  brought  in  with  the  French,  and  to 
visit  an  Irish  soldier  who  was  dying.  The  sister 
who  was  nursing  him  said,  "  I  have  got  some- 
thing to  show  you !  "  and  took  me  out  of  the  ward 
to  a  little  room  on  the  staircase.  Under  a  napkin 
were  three  watches  and  the  right  hand  of  a  child,  of 
four,  taken  out  of  the  coat  pocket  of  a  German 
soldier.* 

Felix  Yusupov  and  his  wife  to  tea  in  the  loggia. 
Afterwards,  in  the  garden,  he  told  me  the  whole 
story  of  the  murder  of  Rasputin. "j* 

*  This  wretch  was  promptly  shot.  f  See  p.  83. 


164  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  The  news  of  the  Vimy  Ridge  mine  is  marvellous, 

Thursday,  ,   J  _,       ^ 

June  14.  D.  even  as  given  in  a  short  telegram.     The  Russian 

newspapers  now  hate  to  admit  that  we  English  do 
anything. 

Saturday,          YALTA.     Princess    Serge    Dolgoruki   died    quite 
Junei6.  L.  sucidenly    at    the    age    of    thirty-six,    leaving    six 
children   by   a   former   husband — the   eldest   only 
|   thirteen — and  one  little  Dolgoruka.     She  has  been 
unconscious  for  two  days  from  a  mistaken  dose  of 
veronal.     She    is    to    be    buried    on    Wednesday. 
She  was  a  charming  lady,  loved  by  everybody, 
and  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Grand  Duchess 
Xenia.     Her  death  has  greatly  upset  us  all. 

Countess  Betsy  Schuvalov  came  to  fetch  me  to 
go  to  the  funeral  service  at  the  little  church  of 
Korrise,  near  their  house,  Mishor,  which  lies  in  the 
midst  of  oak  and  laburnum  woods  near  the  sea 
below  the  village.  We  picked  up  Princess  Urussov 
and  Princess  Volkonski,  and  arrived  at  Korrise 
at  10.  The  requiem  began  at  once.  In  South 
Russia  the  coffin  is  only  closed  in  the  cemetery. 
The  body  lay  half  covered  with  a  cloth-of-silver 
pall,  and  embedded  in  pink  roses.  I  have  never 
seen  anything  more  beautiful  or  more  moving. 
The  six  children  were  there  ;  they  all  kissed  their 
dead  mother  on  entering  the  church.  During  the 
service  a  constant  stream  of  village  people  was 
placing  flowers  near  the  body.  At  the  end  every 
one  present  kissed  the  dead  Princess.  It  was  the 
first  Russian  funeral  I  had  been  to. 

The    Empress    Marie    and    the    Grand    Duchess 
Xenia   assisted   at   the   service   in   a   side   chapel, 


FUNERAL  OF  PRINCESS  DOLGORUKI    165 

which  they  entered  by  another  door,  and  when  1917 
the  coffin,  borne  by  friends,  was  carried  out  and  the 
procession  started  for  the  cemetery,  the  Empress, 
her  daughter,  and  her  sons  also  followed  on  foot. 
The  roads  were  strewn  with  pink  roses  and  green 
boughs. 

I  thought  the  Empress,  whom  I  had  not  seen 
for  more  than  a  year,  was  looking  well — better 
than  I  expected  she  possibly  could,  though  a  little 
thinner.  She  walked  with  a  firm  step  over  a  very 
muddy,  slippery  road  and  down  a  steep  hill. 
The  Grand  Duchess  appeared  ill,  tired,  and  very 
sad.  Her  daughter,  Princess  Felix  Yusupov,  told 
me  she  was  in  indifferent  health  and  much  upset 
by  recent  events. 

All  Yalta  was  present.  The  cemetery — a  mile 
away — is  on  a  wooded  knoll  in  the  middle  of  a 
vineyard.  We  had  hardly  arrived  when  a  terrible 
thunder-shower  began,  and  we  were  all  drenched 
to  the  skin.  The  motors  and  carriages  had  been 
left  in  the  high  road,  and  we  had  to  descend  a  steep 
footpath  through  the  vineyard  to  the  cemetery. 
A  hired  carriage  came  to  fetch  the  Empress  Marie, 
her  daughter,  and  two  little  grandsons,  to  join 
her  automobile,  which  had  gone  with  her  own 
Cossack  on  the  lower  road,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
vineyard.  It  was  too  wet  to  finish  the  service, 
and  the  priest  left  to  come  back  later.  The 
coffin,  now  covered  with  its  lid,  being  placed  under 
a  tree,  all  the  friends  left  and  only  the  family 
remained. 

The  weather  has  been  abominable.     The  cherries, 


166  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  magnolias,  and  white  jasmine  are  wonderful.  The 
sides  of  the  hills,  sloping  to  the  sea,  are  planted 
with  tobacco.  The  cherry-market  is  a  sight  to 
see.  The  cherries — white,  pink,  red,  and  black- 
are  brought  in,  in  every  shape  and  size  of  basket, 
on  every  sort  of  animal,  and  in  every  kind  of 
vehicle.  The  peasants  here  are  Mohammedan — 
kind  and  courteous  people,  and  every  village 
has  its  mosque. 

One  day  I  offered  some  cherries  to  a  Tartar 
boy,  a  child  of  seven  who  lives  by  the  gate.  As 
he  refused  them,  I  threw  them  away.  Next 
time  I  passed  he  ran  up  and  kissed  my  hand,  and 
said  he  had  not  meant  to  be  rude ! 

Wednesday,       YALTA.     Terrific  thunder-storm  all  night.     Very 

l27'     '  hot  morning.     Grand  Duke  Alexander's  two  sons 

came  to  wish  me  good-bye  ;    also  Countess  Betsy 

Schuvalov    and    Princess    Bariatinski.     Left    at   4 

p.m.  for  Semferopol. 

The  woods  are  now  carpeted  with  wild  flowers 
of  every  conceivable  colour — blue  predominating 
— far  more  beautiful  than  the  Engadine  flora ! 
All  along  the  highway  cushat  doves  in  pairs, 
pecking  gravel,  hardly  took  the  trouble  to  get 
out  of  our  way. 

Found  Nikky  Orlov  at  the  station  ;  went  to 
the  hotel  and  dined  with  him.  We  left  by  the 
3.22  a.m.  train. 

Thursday,         ALEXANDROVSK.     90°   Fahrenheit.     Nikky 

16  28'  Dt  changed  here   for   Kiev.     Made   the   acquaintance 

of   Alexinski,  member   of   the    Second   Duma,   on 

his  way  back  from  Sevastopol,  where  he  had  been 


TRAVELLING  UNDER  GUARD   167 

sent  by  Kerenski  to  inquire  into  and  report  on  19(7 
the  sailors'  mutiny  and  their  raid  on  the  Imperial 
family  at  Yalta,  which  had  not  been  authorised 
by  the  Government,  the  "  perquisition "  being 
made  under  forged  signatures.  It  is  difficult  to 
get  at  the  truth.  He  is  agreeable  and  interesting, 
and  talks  good  French. 

From  the  train,  in  brilliant  sunshine,  saw  a  hawk 
surrounded  and  pursued  by  a  flock  of  golden 
orioles,  with  their  slow,  undulating  flight ;  I 
counted  forty-eight,  but  the  hawk  got  away ! 

CHARKOV.  At  important  stations  the  door  of  Friday, 
each  corridor  carriage  is  guarded  by  a  sentry  with  ^u 
fixed  bayonet  to  stop  deserters  or  prevent  the 
unauthorised  entry  of  soldiers.  The  man  on  guard 
at  my  carriage  was  leaning  against  the  train, 
smoking,  with  his  rifle  held  anyhow.  I  said  in 
English,  with  an  air  of  authority,  "  You  know 
you  are  on  duty ;  why  the  hell  don't  you  take 
the  cigarette  out  of  your  mouth  and  hold  yourself 
straight  ?  "  The  inflexion  of  my  voice  and  the 
atavism  of  obedience  were  enough  :  he  instantly 
threw  away  his  cigarette  and  stood  to  attention  ! 

Arrived    Petrograd   at    11.30   a.m.     No    porters  Saturday, 
and  no  cabs  ;   commandeered    private    two-horse  ^une  3°* 
carriage,  which  took  me  to  the  hotel  for  5  roubles 
— five  times  ordinary  price  !     My  case  of  Crimean 
wine,  too  heavy  for  luggage  van,  travelled  under 
conductor's  bed.     Streets  filthy. 

At  9.20  a  procession  began  to  pass  down  the  Sunday, 
Nevski.     The  sailors'  band  headed  it ;    everything  ^y  Im 
was   quiet ;    but   there  was   panic   in   our  street. 


168  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  The  supporters  of  the  Government  stayed  away. 
At  12.45  I  walked  to  Donon's  and  found  it  shut, 
so  came  back  and  had  luncheon  in  my  room. 
At  4.30  walked  to  the  Embassy  and  had  tea  with 
Lady  Georgina,  Princess  Soltykov,  and  Madame 
Tatistchev,  with  whom  I  walked  back  to  the  Foreign 
Office.  Then  to  the  hotel,  dined,  and  took  a  long 
walk,  eventually  arriving  at  the  Foreign  Office, 
rinding  only  the  Tatistchevs  and  Soldatenkov. 
Monday,  Hearing  Grand  Duke  Boris  is  no  longer  under 

J  y2.  .  arrest?  decided  to  go  to  Tsarskoe  Selo.  Drove 
straight  to  his  house  and  found  him  at  luncheon. 
First  time  I  had  seen  him  since  the  Revolution. 
Has  left  the  Army.  Afterwards  we  walked  to  the 
Grand  Duke  Paul's  house  and  sat  in  the  garden. 
Tuesday,  At  3  this  morning  the  Cossacks  took  away  the 

July  3.  D.  Anarchist  prisoners  from  the  Preobrajenski  Bar- 
racks. I  feel  a  state  of  general  tension.  Walked 
with  the  Ambassador  as  far  as  the  Winter  Palace 
and  back,  to  tell  him  about  the  situation  in  the 
Crimea. 

Wednesday,  A  procession  of  soldiers  went  up  the  Nevski 
July  4.  D.  at  noon<  jn  the  afternoon  to  visit  the  Felix 
Yusupovs.  He  showed  me  exactly  where  Rasputin 
was  killed,  the  blood-stained  Polar  bear  skin,  and 
how  it  happened.  We  then  walked  to  the  Nevski, 
where  Felix  left  me. 

Sunday,  Passing  the  church  of  the  Preobraienski  Regi- 

JulyS.    D.  i  .  .  i    . 

ment,     where  evening  service  was  being  sung  by 

the  soldiers  and  one  priest,  went  in  to  see  if  the 

*  One  of  the  numerous  regiments  of  which  every  Emperor 
is  Colonel-in-Chief. 


INVENTORIES  OF  POSSESSIONS        169 

sword  of  Alexander  II  was  still  in  its  glass  case  ;        1917 
only  the  Emperor's  seat  under  the  canopy  has  gone 
and  the  eagle  at  the  back  is  covered  with  red 
cloth. 

Here  I  am  back  in  Petrograd.     Telegrams  take  Sunday, 
nine  days  in   Russia  and  twenty-seven  hours   to  •'uy   ' 
London,    and    the    post    one    cannot    depend    on. 
It   is   all  very   unpleasant   here,    and   I   shall   be 
delighted  to  get  away ;    but  first  I  should  like  to 
go    and    say    good-bye    to    our    Grand    Duchess. 
The  journey  don't  frighten  me  ;    I  have  done  so 
many.     I   hear   she   is   quiet   and  well.     She   has 
but  to  lie  low  and — unless  the  anarchists  get  the 
upper  hand — has  nothing  to  fear. 

The  Grand  Duke  Boris  is  quite  free.  I  con- 
stantly see  him.  There  is  always  good  news 
of  Dmitri  Pavlovich  from  Teheran,  from  the 
summer  quarters  of  the  Legations.  He  is  free 
to  go  where  he  likes. 

Albert  Thomas  was  the  most  enormous  success. 
Elihu  Root  leaves  on  Tuesday — much  liked,  but 
I   doubt  if  his  visit  is  of  any  real  use,   as  they  f 
will   not   listen    to    anything   he    proposes.     They 
want  nothing  but  peace  at  any  price. 

Alexander    Polovtsov   is   making   an   inventory  \ 
of    everything   in    the    palace    of    Gatchina.     The  ^ 
private  will  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  III  was 
found    in    the    drawer    of    his    writing-table    and 
sent   to   the   archives.     Polovstov  is   working  for 
the  Government,  who  are  cataloguing  the  contents 
of  all  the   Imperial   Palaces.     Last   night  it  was  i 
said  his  brother  Peter  had  given  up  the  Petrograd 


1917 


no     support 


Thursday, 


170  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

command — a    thankless    job    with 
behind  it. 

A  curious  side  of  the  Russian  character,  in  all 
classes,  is  the  absence  of  initiative.  I  put  it 
down  as  the  natural  result  of  autocracy.  In  this 
country  the  least  attempt  at  initiative  would 
always  have  been  suppressed ;  hence  it  does 
not  exist.  In  every  Russian  there  is  the  latent 
dread  of  the  autocrat. 

Dined  at  Tsarskoe  Selo  with  the  Grand  Duke 
Paul.  Afterwards  motored  with  the  Grand  Duke 
Boris  to  Pavlovsk,  and  then  back  to  Petrograd. 
A  summer  night  of  wonderful  colours — the  red 
rose  of  sunset  fading  into  the  flush  of  dawn— 
from  crimson  into  palest  pink,  and  then  back  to 
rose-colour. 

Woke    up    at    II    a.m.     No   one    answered    my 
bell.     Found    hotel    servants 
cooks.     Dressed,    made    my 

my  bath,  swept  my  room.  I  did  the  same  for 
a  rheumatic  old  lady  in  my  corridor  who  was 
much  upset  by  the  strike.  Had  invited  Bibikov 
and  Putiatin  to  luncheon.  With  them  to  kitchen 
and  procured  what  we  wanted  to  eat,  and  carried 
it  up  to  my  room.  Oddly  enough,  the  coffee-pot 
I  was  carrying  dripped  all  the  way  to  the  second 
floor.  It  took  two  days'  hard  labour  to  clean  the 
marble  staircase — without  carpet  in  the  summer — 
after  the  servants  came  off  strike.  Luncheon  over, 
placed  all  the  plates,  dishes,  etc.,  on  the  floor 
outside  the  door.  Dinner  at  Felix  Yusupov's 
in  the  room  where  Rasputin  was  killed  ;  sat  next 


Friday, 
July  13 


D. 


one 

on    strike,    except 
own     bed,     cleaned 


TURMOIL  IN  POPULAR  QUARTER     171 

to  Lady  Muriel  Paget.     Took  an  izvoschik  home  ;        1917 
paid  him  a  rouble  for  a  4O-kopek  fare.     He  called 
me  a  Jew ! 

There  is  quite  a  different  feeling  in  Petrograd  July  13.  L. 
since  the  advance  in  Galicia.  Let's  hope  they 
won't  run  into  a  trap  or  lose  what  they  have  got. 
Arthur  Henderson  leaves  to-day.  What  do  you 
think  of  "  Sonia  "  ?  I  suppose  it  will  become  a 
classic  of  the  years  just  before  the  war. 

The  Ambassador  thanked  me  for  news  I  had  Monday, 
sent  him  in  the  morning — "  just  what  he  wanted 
to  know." 

Dined  with  Edward  Cunard  and  Guy  Colebrooke, 
both  of  the  Embassy,  in  the  Olives'  house,  where 
I  had  been  on  March  10.  It  is  at  the  far  end  of 
the  town,  only  a  hundred  yards  from  the  Tauride 
Palace,  where  the  Duma  meets.  I  left  at  9.15  p.m. 
on  foot  with  Cunard.  The  streets  were  quite 
normal.  He  accompanied  me  down  the  Sergeivskia 
a  little  way.  When  I  got  to  the  Liteiny — the 
main  artery  from  the  popular  quarter  across  the 
Neva — I  found  it  all  in  effervescence.  No  trams — 
always  a  bad  sign.  Nobody  seemed  to  know  if 
anything  had  happened  or  was  going  to  happen — 
many  people  spoke  to  me.  Everybody  was  asking 
everybody  else  what  was  on. 

I  walked  down  the  Mochovaia  and  a  motor-car 
full  of  students  and  Grenadier  soldiers  passed  me 
and  stopped  at  No.  28,  where  I  saw  several  rifles 
being  brought  out,  put  into  the  automobile,  which 
turned  round  and  left  at  full  speed.  At  the  corner 
of  the  Fontanka  Bridge  and  the  Cinistelli  Circus, 


172  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

the  same  automobile  came  up,  stopped  a  motor-car 
with  a  lady  and  gentleman,  pulled  them  out,  not 
too  roughly ;  half  of  the  armed  men  got  into  it, 
and  the  two  cars  started  off  again  at  full  speed. 

I  continued  on  foot  to  the  Hotel  de  1' Europe 
and  telephoned  what  I  had  seen  to  Lady  Georgina. 
She  told  me  that  motor-lorries  full  of  armed  men 
had  been  coming  over  the  Troitza  Bridge  in  front 
of  the  Embassy  for  the  last  hour.  I  then  walked 
down  the  Nevski  to  go  to  the  Yusupovs'  Palace. 
It  was  the  Princess's  birthday.  The  Nevski  was 
emptying  fast,  though  there  were  still  some  strollers 
and  some  sightseers.  Armoured  cars  and  motor- 
lorries  with  armed  men  were  tearing  up  and  down. 
Three  tiny  children  were  dancing  round  together, 
excitedly  singing  out,  "  Revoluzion,  Revoluzion  !  " 
I  left  the  Nevski  to  go  down  the  Moika,  which  was 
quite  calm.  A  good  many  diners  were  coming  out 
of  the  restaurants. 

The  Marienski  Palace  Place,  the  seat  of  the 
Provisional  Government,  was  quite  empty ;  on 
the  steps  of  the  palace  nine  soldiers  were  talking. 
Continuing  down  the  Moika  to  the  Yusupov  Palace, 
found  my  hosts  packing  off  the  Grand  Duchess 
Marie  Pavlovna  II,  Mita  Benckendorff,  and  Prince 
Palei,  for  the  station  to  take  the  train  to  Tsarskoe 
Selo.  They  had  come  up  to  dine  and  spend  the 
evening,  but  it  was  thought  better  they  should 
leave  at  once.  Till  I  came  the  only  news  they  had 
had  was  by  telephone ;  everything  was  quite 
quiet  in  this  quarter. 

Many  guests  had  come  after  dinner,  like  me,  to 


TERROR  OF  THE  COSSACKS         173 

hear  Sacha  Markarov,  the  great  guitarist,  play.  1917 
A  young  lady  thought  fit  to  sit  on  the  window-sill 
of  the  ground-floor  drawing-room,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  a  crowd  had  gathered  outside.  It  was 
thought  better  to  close  all  the  iron  shutters  on  the 
ground  floor. 

In  the  meantime  a  regiment,  armed,  with  all 
its  officers,  marched  down  the  Moika  on  the 
opposite  side,  halted,  and  stood  along  the  balustrade 
of  the  canal.  I  afterwards  heard  that,  near  the 
Nevski  end  of  the  Moika,  while  this  regiment 
was  marching  along,  the  cry  of  "  Cossacks  "  was 
raised,  and  they  all  fled  into  the  nearest  houses 
and  courtyards.  Many  passers-by  were  knocked 
down  and  trampled  upon,  and  my  informant  was 
bruised  a  good  deal  as  the  soldiers  rushed  through 
the  narrow  opening  of  a  big  door  into  the  court- 
yard. Such  is  the  inherent  terror  both  soldiers 
and  the  people  have  of  the  Cossacks  ! 

We  all  left  the  drawing-room  on  the  ground 
floor  and  went  to  the  apartment  on  the  top  floor 
— which  are  their  sleeping-rooms  until  those  on 
the  ground  floor  are  finished.  From  these  win- 
dows we  could  see  the  regiment,  which  eventually 
marched  away. 

I  went  downstairs  to  the  dining-room  in  the 
basement,  where  Lady  Muriel  Paget  had  in  the 
meantime  arrived  and,  with  the  other  guests, 
had  come  down  to  the  dining-room  in  the  base- 
ment. I  determined  to  go  back  to  the  street. 
Lady  Muriel  asked  me  whether  I  would  see  her 
home  ;  I  said  I  would,  provided  she  did  every- 


174  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  thing  I  told  her.  Avoiding  all  open  spaces  and 
broad  streets,  as  I  had  learnt  to  do  in  the  First 
Revolution,  and  keeping  close  to  the  houses, 
we  made  for  the  Fontanka  Canal.  Presently 
we  found  an  izvoschik,  who  agreed  for  ten  roubles 
to  go  wherever  we  wanted. 

As  we  arrived  at  the  Sadovia  we  ran  up  against 
a  demonstration  of  workpeople  and  soldiers, 
which  just  prevented  our  crossing.  They  were  all 
very  excited  and  singing  the  "  Marseillaise." 
Lady  Muriel  preferred  to  get  out  of  the  izvoschik 
and  stand  near  the  houses,  so  that  in  case  of 
a  rush  she  might  be  able  to  go  inside.  Some 
izvoschiki  came  up,  and  one  of  the  drivers  began 
to  complain  loudly  of  being  held  up  by  the  pro- 
cession. He  was  instantly  surrounded  by  the 
mob  and  pulled  off  his  box.  A  few  minutes  after 
a  panic  seized  the  procession — whether  from  fear 
.  of  the  Cossacks  or  of  machine-guns  I  don't  know ; 
I  heard  no  firing.  All  the  izvoschiki  skedaddled. 
I  managed  to  tumble  out  of  mine  and  get  on 
the  sidewalk,  and  for  the  moment  I  lost  Lady 
Muriel. 

An  old  woman  was  hobbling  along  on  two  sticks, 
which  were  knocked  out  of  her  hands  in  the 
rush,  and  she  fell  on  her  knees.  I  picked  her 
up,  gave  her  her  sticks,  and  propped  her  against 
the  wall.  I  then  called  out  to  Lady  Muriel, 
and  fortunately  she  heard  me.  I  told  her  to 
lie  down  near  the  wall,  as  there  was  no  courtyard 
near  to  get  into  ;  but  on  second  thoughts  I  hurried 
her  down  the  street  and  we  found  one. 


FIGHTING  IN  THE  NEVSKI  PROSPEKT  175 

In  the  meantime  our  izvoschik  had  disappeared,  1917 
and  as  soon  as  the  demonstration  had  thinned 
down  we  managed  to  cross  the  street  and  walked 
on,  eventually  reaching  the  Anglo-Russian  Hos- 
pital at  1.15  a.m.  A  lot  of  wounded  from  the 
fighting  in  the  Nevski  had  been  brought  in,  and 
we  went  straight  up  to  the  wards  to  see  them. 
The  doctors  and  sisters  were  much  concerned 
at  the  non-appearance  of  Lady  Muriel,  as  on 
their  telephoning  to  the  Yusupov  Palace  they 
were"  told  she  had  left  there  more  than  an  hour 
before. 

The  fighting  in  the  Nevski  was  between  Bol- 
shevik soldiers  and  the  Cossacks,  who  had  been 
drawn  up  across  the  street  at  the  corner  of 
Vladimir  Prospekt.  The  soldiers  lay  flat  in  the 
middle  of  the  roadway  and  fired  on  the  Cossacks. 
No  sooner  did  the  Cossacks  reply  than  the  cowards 
crept  to  the  side  and  bolted  into  the  nearest 
houses.  Thank  God,  some  of  the  brutes  were 
killed. 

After  I  had  had  some  tea  I  left  the  hospital 
and  walked  down  the  Nevski  to  the  Hotel  de 
1'Europe.  I  saw  only  one  shop  window  broken 
— a  cigar-shop.  I  met  many  stretchers  with 
wounded  people  on  them,  and  there  was  a  great 
crowd  on  the  Sadovia — the  Nevski  was  empty. 
I  got  back  to  the  hotel  at  2.15  a.m.  and  went 
to  bed. 

Whilst    walking    about    in    the    morning    heard  Tuesday, 
fierce  shooting,  but  did  not  get  under  fire.     During  July  I7> 
luncheon  in  the  hotel  a  battle  took  place  in  the 


176  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Sadovia  close  by ;  the  bullets  rattled  down  on 
the  roof  opposite.  Hand-grenades  were  being 
used  by  the  Bolsheviki  all  over  Petrograd.  To 
the  Embassy  and  talked  with  the  Ambassador 
privately.  Dined  at  night  off  tea  and  jam,  as 
all  the  hotel  cooks  had  left. 

Wednesday,       Violent   rain    all   night,   which   swept   the    Bol- 
July  18.    D.     T       .,  .       rr      !  XT  ,         , 

sheviki   off  the   streets.     No   trams   and  only  an 

occasional  izvoschik.  My  old  music-seller  opposite 
opened  his  shop  at  10.30  for  a  few  minutes  only. 
All  shops  closed.  Dined  at  the  Polovtsovs,  and 
heard  that  the  Bolsheviki  were  to  be  "  polished 
off "  to-night.  This  would  have  been  done  last 
night  but  for  the  violent  rain.  Went  to  the 
Embassy  to  warn  the  Ambassador  that  all  the 
bridges  are  to  be  opened,  in  order  to  cut  off 
the  Bolsheviki  from  their  strongholds,  which  are 
the  workmen's  quarters  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  Returned  to  the  Polovtsovs,  where  we 
played  bridge  till  3  a.m.,  waiting  for  news  which 
never  came. 

Thursday,  Early  in  the  morning  Lady  Georgina  telephoned 
'  me  they  had  been  warned  at  5.30  that  the  Peter- 
Paul  Fortress  might  bombard  the  town  at  any 
moment.  Dressed  quickly  and  started  off  at 
once  to  the  Embassy.  As  I  crossed  the  Champ 
de  Mars  a  number  of  soldiers  at  the  Pavlovsk 
Barracks,  sitting  in  the  windows  with  rifles, 
fired  from  time  to  time  across  the  Champ  de  Mars 
over  my  head  into  the  Summer  Garden.  I  was 
not  going  to  turn  back  for  them.  I  pulled  myself 
together  and  walked  across  the  Champ  de  Mars 


PETER-PAUL  FORTRESS  CAPITULATES   177 

and  entered  the  Embassy  by  the  adjoining  court-        1917 

yard  of  Princess  Soltykov's  house.     Went  straight 

up  to  the  first  floor,  found  the  Ambassador  on 

the  balcony  surrounded  by  his  secretaries — instead 

of  sitting  in   the   cellar,   as   they  had   been   told 

to    do — eagerly    watching    the    troops    advancing 

on    their    stomachs    across    the    Troitzka    Bridge. 

Terestchenko,   the   Minister    for    Foreign    Affairs, 

had  placed  rooms  in   the   Foreign  Office  at  the 

disposal  of  the  Ambassador  and  his  family,  but 

they  refused  to  leave. 

About  half-past  eleven  a  message  came  to  say 
that  the  house  of  the  dancer,  Kchessinskaia,  which 
had  been  looted  and  taken  over  by  the  Bolsheviki 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  had  been 
captured  by  the  Government  troops,  and  at 
ten  minutes  past  one  an  officer  came  to  say 
that  the  Peter-Paul  Fortress,  which  was  being 
held  by  the  Soldiers  and  Workmen  against 
the  Government  forces,  had  capitulated.  For 
the  first  time  since  the  Revolution  the  midday 
gun  was  not  fired  from  the  fortress  as  usual 
to-day.  In  the  evening  I  saw  Cossacks  on 
white  horses  escorting  Kerenski  back  from  the 
station  to  the  Winter  Palace  on  his  return  from 
Stavka. 

Severe  fighting  round  the  Nicolai  railway  station.  Friday, 
Changes  in  the  Cabinet.     At  midnight  some  one  July20-  D- 
telephoned  to  say  a  battle  was  going  on  by  the 
Palace  Bridge,  opposite  the  Winter  Palace.  Opened 
my  windows  but  could  hear  nothing ;    too  tired 
to  dress  again. 

M 


178  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  In  last  night's  battle  the  Bolsheviki,  who  had 

collected  at  the  end  of  the  Palace  Bridge,  were 
surrounded  by  Cossacks  and  cut  into  small  pieces. 
I  had  a  little  piece  of  Bolshevik  brought  me 
later !  The  bad  news  from  the  Front,  which 
I  have  known  since  Thursday,  is  now  published. 

Monday,  To  the   Polovtsovs  after  dinner.     The   General 

came  in  and  told  us  Lenin  had  not  yet  been 
found.  I  suggested  to  search  the  Vladimir  Palace, 
which  I  know  has  been  a  nest  of  revolutionaries 
for  the  last  three  months. 

July  25.  L.  We  have  had  five  days'  hell.  Tuesday  was 
worse  than  any  day  in  the  Revolution,  but  it 
is  not  over  yet.  We  must  wade  through  a  sea 
of  blood  before  it  can  be  ended.  Perhaps  nothing 
will  happen  to  me — why  should  it  ?  But  if  I 
"  go  away  "  don't  regret  me  ;  I  am  so  tired — 
I  want  to  sleep  ! 

The  Cossacks  are  to  be  buried  on  July  28. 
The  news  from  the  Front  is  too  terrible  to  think 
of — two  Army  Corps  surrendered,  and  all  the 
towns  lost  which  were  so  lately  won.  Thank 
God,  the  Huns  will  find  nothing  to  eat.  I  know 
what  that  is,  as  we  are  starving  here.  Tarnopol 
is  a  great  disaster,  and  really  last  night,  after 
four  days'  anarchy,  when  that  news  came,  we 
were  all  disheartened.  You  have  no  idea  how 
tired  it  makes  one  ;  I  sleep  eight  hours,  only  to 
wake  up  much  more  tired.  There  is  nothing 
to  eat,  either  ;  I  am  always  hungry. 

For  the  moment  all  is  quiet  here,  but  there 
may  yet  be  a  pitched  battle  between  those  who 


IMPERIAL  FAMILY  IN  CAPTIVITY      179 

want  to  maintain  order  and  carry  on   the  war,        1917 
and  those  who  don't  want  to  do  either. 

I  have  been  back  three  weeks  from  the  Crimea,  July  27.  L. 
and  yesterday  I  went  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  see  the 
Grand  Duke  Paul.  There  is  but  little  news  of 
the  Emperor  and  his  children.  It  is  only  when 
by  chance  somebody  knows  one  of  the  officers 
who  have  been  on  guard  that  any  direct  news 
is  got ;  but  this  is  known — they  are  all  in  ex- 
cellent health  and  at  work  in  their  kitchen-garden, 
except  the  Empress,  who  does  not  go  out.  There 
is  a  triple  cordon  of  guards,  and  they  are  not 
allowed  to  pass  the  first  line,  which  rather  restricts 
their  exercise ;  but,  after  all,  it  is  for  their 
safety ;  and  if  you  had  been  through  what  we 
have  been  through  this  last  week,  you  would 
be  glad  to  have  guards  to  protect  you. 

The  Commandant  of  the  Palace  is  an  upright 
officer  and  a  gentleman,  and  he  does  all  in  his 
power  to  meet  their  wishes. 

Last  night  Prince  Putiatin  came  to  see  me. 
He  was  twenty-three  years  in  the  Imperial  house- 
hold and  thirty-two  days  in  the  fortress.  Last 
week  he  lost  his  father-in-law,  Admiral  Paltov, 
one  of  the  oldest  admirals  in  the  Imperial  Navy. 
At  the  funeral  service,  Mademoiselle  Hendrikov, 
the  Empress's  maid  of  honour,  came  with  a 
message  of  condolence  from  her,  which  shows 
that  they  know  all  that  passes,  and  are  allowed 
to  communicate  with  friends  on  matters  of  personal 
interest.  The  Prince  confirmed  the  excellent 
character  of  the  Commandant  of  the  Palace, 


i8o  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  I   have   not   written   to   you   since   my   return, 

because  till  yesterday  I  had  nothing  but  vague 
reports  to  give  you,  although  I  have  been  several 
times  to  Tsarskoe  Selo.  I  received  a  letter  from 
Kislovodsk  from  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir. 
She  is  quite  free  in  that  town  and  is  no  longer 
molested,  but  I  fear  her  health  has  suffered  from 
her  three  months'  arrest ;  she  complains  of  her 
heart.  Before  I  leave  Russia  I  hope  to  be  able 
to  go  and  see  her  again. 

We  have  passed  through  a  terrible  week. 
It  began  at  9.30  on  Monday  evening,  July  16, 
and  the  last  street  battle  was  on  Saturday, 
July  21,  at  midnight.  I  think  Tuesday  was  worse 
than  any  day  in  the  First  Revolution ;  then 
the  people  were  out  for  an  ideal,  this  week  it 
is  pure  anarchy,  combined  with  nothing  to  eat. 
Thursday  morning  was  a  critical  moment  for 
the  Embassy.  They  were  all  warned  at  5.30 
to  be  ready  to  leave.  At  n,  the  house  of  the 
dancer  opposite,  occupied  by  the  anarchists,  capi- 
tulated ;  and  at  a  quarter  to  one,  the  Fortress. 
The  weather  was  very  hot  and  stuffy ;  I  think 
revolutions  are  better  in  the  winter. 

But  all  of  this  is  nothing  compared  with  the 
news  from  the  Front,  where  the  soldiers  are 
laying  down  their  arms  wholesale.  History  tells 
us  the  Russians  have  never  won  a  real  war — 
only  wars  for  enlarging  their  frontiers.  Formerly 
the  Russian  soldier  gave  his  life  for  the  Tsar, 
and  went  into  the  trenches  singing  his  hymn  — 
that  he  would  die  for  the  Tsar.  Now  he  is  for- 


KERENSKI  IN  WINTER  PALACE      181 

bidden  to  sing  that  hymn.     He  has  no  "  Little        1917 
Father "   to  die  for,   and    asks    himself,   "  What 
am  I  fighting  for  ?  " 

Siberians— who,  by  the  way,  have  proved  them- 
selves first-rate  soldiers — live  much  farther  from 
Warsaw  than  Warsaw  is  from  Bordeaux,  and 
they  would  much  sooner  be  tilling  their  land 
than  fighting  Germans  who  live  thousands  of 
versts  away.  All  this  has  been  preached  to 
them  on  the  Front  by  paid  agents  of  Germany. 

There  are  twenty-four  million  men  under  arms 
in  Russia,  and  one  has  only  to  look  at  the  map 
to  see  where  the  larger  proportion  must  come 
from.  If  Moscow  had  been  attacked,  as  in 
1812,  it  would  have  been  a  different  thing.  The 
Ambassador  is  in  despair,  though  but  for  him 
I  do  not  believe  any  offensive  would  have  been 
made  since  the  Revolution ;  and  since  Albert 
Thomas  left  he  has  had  to  work  single-handed. 
The  new  French  Ambassador  will  not  for  some  little 
time  have  much  influence.  It  is  heart-rending. 

I  go  to-morrow  to  Kislovodsk  to  see  the  Grand  July  27.  L. 
Duchess  Vladimir  and  spend  her  fete  with  her. 
I  shall  be  away  nine  days — six  in  the  train  and 
three  there.  On  Monday  I  go  to  Tsarskoe  Selo 
to  get  any  messages  and  news  from  Grand  Duke 
Boris  for  his  mother. 

The  war  news  was  very  bad  last  night.  Kerenski 
— who  has  Jewish  blood — is  living  in  the  Winter 
Palace.  There  is  a  question  of  sending  the  Em- 
peror and  his  family  to  Siberia — to  a  town,  Tobolsk, 
400  versts  from  a  railway. 


1 82  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  I    believe    the    Emperor    and    his    family   have 

JUY29.  •  keen  sent  to  Siberia.  I  heard  this  last  night. 
I  wonder  what  effect  it  will  have  on  the  people. 
I  think  Kerenski  will  make  himself  dictator. 

Left  Nicolai  station,  Petrograd,  9.30  for  Kis- 
lovdsk  in  the  Caucasus.  General  Offley  Shaw 
and  Lieutenant  Grundy,  Persian  Rifles,  travelled 
in  the  next  compartment  to  me  on  their  way 
to  Tiflis  and  Persia  respectively. 

Monday,  ROSTOV-ON-DON.    The  bridge  across  the  Don, 

juyao.  .  swept  away  by  the  great  floods  in  the  month 
of  May,  has  now  been  repaired.  All  day  passing 
through  endless  acres  of  undulating  ground  planted 
with  sunflowers.  Seen  from  the  north,  the  effect 
was  a  pale  yellow-greeny  ocean,  which,  as  I  looked 
back,  changed  to  lakes  of  golden  sunshine  as 
they  faced  the  sun. 

Tuesday,  KISLOVODSK.     Arrived   9   p.m.    All   the   hotels 

July  31.  D.  jkjk  Left  my  luggage  at  the  station  and  drove 
to  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir's  villa.  Walked 
unexpectedly  into  the  dining-room,  where  I  found 
her  still  at  table  after  dinner  with  the  Grand  Duke 
Andre,  Princess  Mestcherski,  and  her  equerries. 
My  unannounced  arrival  evidently  pleased  her ; 
she  made  me  very  welcome,  ordered  dinner  for 
me,  and  asked  me  to  stay  in  the  villa.  All 
were  happy  to  hear  news  from  the  north,  and 
we  remained  round  the  table  talking  till  mid- 
night. 

Thursday,         KISLOVODSK.     The  Grand  Duchess  received  me 

Aug.  2.    D.  -n    j^    cafonet   &e   travail,    and   we    counted    the 

money   which    I    had    brought  her  in    my    boots 


AT  KISLOVODSK  183 

from  Petrograd  !     It  was  in  revolutionary  thousand-        1917 
rouble  notes,  which  she  had  never  seen  before. 

Afterwards  walked  with  her  to  the  hill  leading 
to  the  town  to  meet  her  son.  On  our  way  back 
an  unknown  lady  curtsied  to  the  Grand  Duchess. 
Ever  since  her  release  she  has  received  marks 
of  sympathy  and  courtesy  from  all  classes.  She 
took  me  for  a  drive  through  the  Cossack  villages 
where  we  had  been  on  Easter  Monday.  After  tea 
I  walked  up  the  valley  alongside  the  river  of 
Kislovodsk,  which  reminded  me  of  the  Lichtenthal 
Allee,  Baden-Baden.  It  is  tidy  and  well  kept. 

A  pair  of  golden  orioles  sang  at  7  a.m.  Ordered  Friday, 
a  cake  and  bread  to  take  back  to  Petrograd.  In  Aug*  3<  Dm 
the  afternoon  drove  with  the  Grand  Duchess 
up  to  the  Blue  Rocks,  where  there  is  a  wonderful 
view.  She  told  me  that  at  a  children's  picnic 
in  the  mountains,  at  a  place  called  "  The  Eagles' 
Nest,"  an  enormous  golden  eagle  planed  above 
them.  The  children  shouted  out,  "  Aeroplane  ! 
Aeroplane  !  "  So  machinery  displaces  nature  ! 
As  I  walked  in  the  town  later,  was  addressed  in 
perfect  English  by  a  young  Cossack  who  was 
riding,  and  whom  we  had  met  during  our  drive. 
Before  dinner  the  Grand  Duchess's  presents  were 
laid  out  on  a  table  in  her  salon.  I  gave  tuberoses 
as  I  did  last  year. 

KISLOVODSK.     The   Grand   Duchess's    fete-day,  Saturday, 
St.  Mary  Magdalen.     Woke  up  at  6  by  my  golden  Aug<  4*    D' 
orioles.     At     12.30    the    priest    came    and    sang 
Te  Deum.     We  sat  down  twenty-eight  to  luncheon 
on  the  veranda  at  three  tables. 


1 84  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  KISLOVODSK.     Fetched   the   cake   and   bread    I 

Aug.  5^'  D.  had  had  baked,  to  take  to  Petrograd.  Early 
dinner  on  account  of  me.  Left  at  8.30  for 
Petrograd.  The  Grand  Duchess  and  her  guests 
waved  to  me  in  the  train  from  the  veranda. 

Wednesday,  TVER.  From  the  railway-carriage  gave  a  beggar 
boy  white  bread — the  first  he  had  seen  for  three 
years ! 

Thursday,  Arrived  at  1.15  a.m.  at  Nicolai  station,  Petro- 
grad— sixteen  hours  late !  To  luncheon  with 
Grand  Duke  Boris  at  Tsarskoe  Selo.  A  long  talk 
with  him  alone. 

Friday,  To  dine  at  the  Embassy,  also  General  Sir  Charles 

Barter,  General  Knox,  and  Lord  Ilchester  (King's 
Messenger).  Later  with  Ilchester  to  Yusupov 
Palace,  where  the  gipsies  sang. 

Saturday,          The  Emperor  and  his  family  are  still  at  Tsarskoe 

Aug.   II.     JD.      ri     1  1  1  ft 

belo  ;  no  one  knows  the  reason  of  the  postpone- 
ment of  their  journey  to  Siberia.  He  was  told 
about  it  and  made  no  objection.  It  is  true  the 
Empress  can't  walk,  but  I  'doubt  that  being 
the  cause.  It  had  been  arranged  for  Thurday, 
July  26.  Everything  seems  quiet  for  the  moment, 
but  last  night,  coming  away  from  the  Yusupovs', 
there  was  a  rifle-shot  quite  close  to  me.  Nowadays 
a  single  shot  can  bring  on  a  battle.  One  is 
almost  more  apprehensive  of  calm  than  of  noise, 
but  the  Ambassador  goes  on  Thursday  for  five 
days'  rest  to  Finland,  so  I  conclude  he  is  not 
too  worried  for  the  moment. 

Want  of  bread  brought  on  the  Revolution,  and 
the  same  may  bring  a  counter-revolution.     There 


DEPARTURE  OF  IMPERIAL  FAMILY   185 

is  nothing  to  eat  :    I  suffer  most  from  the  absence        1917 
of  butter. 

Returning  home  at  an  early  hour  this  morning  Saturday, 
down  the  Morskaia,  a  sentry  called  out  something  Aug*  "•  D' 
I  did  not  understand.     As  I  continued,  he  rushed 
at  me  with  a  fixed  bayonet,  presented  to  my  breast. 
I  would  not  go  back  and  remained  standing  erect. 
Gulescu,  the  celebrated  chef  d'orchestre,  who  had 
been    playing    at    our    supper-party,    driving    by, 
jumped  out  of  his  carriage  and  explained  matters. 
He  interpreted  for  me  :  "  Better  go  to  the  Front 
and  kill  Germans  than  a  peaceable  ally  !  " 

The  Emperor  and  his  family  left  Tsarskoe  Selo  Tuesday, 
station  this  morning  at  5.35  a.m. 

Fetched   Madame  Tatistchev   from  the  Foreign  Wednesday, 
Office   to  go  to   the   church  *   of  the   Peter-Paul  Aug>  I5<  D' 
Fortress.     The  custodian  told  me  that  as  many 
people    come    now    as    before    the    Revolution    to 
put  candles  on  the  tomb  of  the  Emperor   Paul, 
which  has  always  been  an  object  of  veneration, 
as    the    people    believe    it   will    bring    back    their  ' 
sons  safe  from  the  war.     I   put  two  candles  on 
the  tomb,  one  for  the  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir, 
and    one    for    myself,    and    afterwards    we    went 
on    to    the   new    church,   where    I   put   a    candle 
on  the  tomb  of  the  Grand  Duke  Vladimir.     From 
there   we   drove   to   the   convent   where    John   of 
Cronstadt  f  was   buried.     At    the   Embassy  told 
the    Ambassador    details    of    the    Emperor's    de- 

*  The  burial-place  of  the  Emperors  from  Peter  the  Great 
to  Alexander  III,  when  the  new  church  was  required. 

t  Religious   adviser  of   Alexander   III   shortly   before   his 
death. 


1 86  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

parture,  whicn  I  had  from  an  eye-witness.  On 
the  Palace  Quay  saw  Kerenski  in  the  Emperor's 
Rolls-Royce,  talking  with  a  friend. 

Sunday,  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  written  to  you. 

At  times  I  have  only  had  little  bits  of  news  ; 
and  I  have  been  at  Kislovodsk. 

I  have  the  facts  about  the  departure  of  the 
Emperor  and  family  from  one  who  was  at  the 
station.  The  train  was  to  have  started  at  2  a.m., 
but  owing  to  the  quantity  of  luggage,  which 
preceded  them  in  a  separate  train,  they  did  not 
leave  till  5.35.  The  Guards  gave  the  Emperor 
the  salute  when  he  left  the  palace.  The  Emperor. 
the  Grand  Duke  Alexei,  and  the  Empress,  drove 
in  an  open  automobile  to  the  station,  the  four 
Grand  Duchesses  in  another  ;  they  were  in  white 
dresses.  Their  heads  were  shaved  after  the 
measles.  The  Emperor  lit  cigarettes  incessantly, 
and  threw  them  away.  The  Empress  had  tears 
in  her  eyes.  The  Grand  Duke  Alexei  cried — 
poor  little  boy !  You  mustn't  forget  they  had 
been  waiting  to  leave  since  two  o'clock,  for  over 
three  hours.  The  four  Grand  Duchesses  showed 
no  emotion. 

The  Grand  Duke  Michael  motored  yesterday 
from  Gatchina  to  his  cousin  Boris's  house  in 
Tsarskoe  Selo,  where  he  left  his  wife,  Countess 
Brassov.  He  then  went  to  the  palace  and  saw 
the  Emperor  ;  they  stood  up  for  a  little  more 
than  five  minutes  talking  together.  Kerenski 
and  the  officer  on  guard  were  in  the  room  all 
the  time  and  looked  out  of  the  window.  The 


THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY 


COUNT  BENCKENDORFF  187 

Grand  Duke  Michael  asked  to  see  the  Empress  ;  1917 
it  was  not  allowed.  The  brothers  embraced. 
The  Grand  Duke  Boris  told  me  that  when  his 
cousin  came  back  from  the  interview  he  was 
so  upset  he  couldn't  speak.  Count  Benckendorff 
some  days  later  asked  Kerenski  a  question  a 
propos  of  something  relating  to  the  palace,  and 
Kerenski  answered :  "  They  will  be  back  here  in 
November." 

The  climate  of  Tobolsk  is  good,  especially 
in  the  autumn.  The  last  400  versts  down  the 
river  is  done  on  American  steamers,  which  are 
quite  comfortable.  Convicts  were  never  sent 
there.  I  think  it  will  make  a  bad  impression 
on  the  Russian  people  that  Siberia  should  have 
been  chosen  for  the  Imperial  residence,  as  the 
Emperor  now  becomes  a  victim  instead  of  a 
prisoner.  If  it  had  been  this  side  of  the  Urals 
less  impression  would  have  been  made,  but  that 
the  Lord's  Anointed  should  be  sent  to  Siberia 
may  hurt  the  amour-propre  of  the  people. 

They  were  to  have  left  on  July  26,  but  at  the 
last  moment  the  departure  was  cancelled.  Count 
Elie  Leonidovich  Tatistchev,*  le  plus  brave  des 
braves,  has  gone  in  the  place  of  Benckendorff, 
who  is  suffering  from  his  eyes.  The  Empress 
left  a  letter  to  thank  him  for  his  services  of  twenty- 
three  years — he  is  the  only  person  whom  she  is 
known  to  have  thanked. 

*  When  Kerenski  sent  for  him  and  asked  whether  he  would 
go  to  Siberia  he  said,  "  I  must  go  wherever  you  order  me." 
"It  is  to  accompany  the  Emperor  to  Siberia."  He  replied, 
"  I  will  do  whatever  the  Emperor  commands."  And  he  went. 


1 88  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

J9J7  They  are  accompanied  by  Markarov,  who  looks 

after  the  palaces,  works  of  art,  and  archives. 
He  is  the  good  genius  of  Kerenski.  The  Empress 
says,  "  We  have  not  suffered  enough  for  all  the 
•  faults  we  have  committed."  To  me  it  seems 
that,  through  her  fault,  husband,  children,  family, 
and  country  have  all  suffered  more  than  enough. 

General  Gourko  is  in  a  dry  room  in  the  Peter- 
Paul  Fortress,  and  his  wife  has  been  allowed 
to  join  him  there.  There  is  personal  spite  in 
his  detention.  I  went  yesterday  to  the  church 
in  the  fortress,  where  the  Emperors  are  buried. 
All  is  in  perfect  order  and  the  lights  burning 
on  the  different  tombs.  The  tomb  of  the  Emperor 
Paul  was  ablaze  with  candles,  and  on  it  was  a 
large  bunch  of  white  lilies.  He  has  always  been 
looked  upon  by  the  people  as  a  martyr,  and 
prayers  to  him  are  believed  to  bring  back  alive 
and  well  those  at  the  war.  They  assured  me 
the  Revolution  makes  no  difference  to  the  popular 
devotion.  The  Russians  respect  the  dead,  if 
they  do  not  the  living. 

I  went  on  July  28  to  Kislovodsk,  where  the 
Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  is  still  staying.  I 
took  money  to  her,  as  one  can  trust  nobody 
nowadays.  I  arrived  quite  unexpectedly  and 
stayed  in  her  villa  for  five  nights.  Although 
it  is  quite  small  they  managed  to  make  room 
for  me.  I  was  there  in  time  for  her  fete,  August  4. 
After  the  le  Deum  in  the  villa,  the  old  parish 
priest  said  a  few  words :  "As  Mary  Magdalen 
was  the  first  to  know  of  the  Resurrection  of 


PRINCESS  IRENE  YUSUPOV          189 

Christ,  so  may  you,  after  all  your  suffering,  be  1917 
the  first  to  know  that  the  order  of  former  days 
has  come  back  to  Russia."  It  was  very  brave 
of  the  old  man  to  dare  say  so  much.  The  Grand 
Duchess  was  much  hnue.  She  is  better  in  health 
now  that  she  has  been  released  after  three  months' 
detention,  and  is  taking  baths  for  her  heart. 
She  lives  with  a  few  old  servants  and  had  the 
happy  idea  of  getting  a  dozen  Cossacks  from 
a  village  in  the  hills — all  of  one  family — to  pro- 
tect her.  They  give  no  bother,  and  do  their 
two  hours'  duty  at  the  entrance  of  the  villa  and 
garden,  and  are  devoted  and  attentive.  The 
Grand  Duchess  asked  me,  if  the  occasion  presented 
itself,  to  assure  the  King  and  Queen  of  her  deepest 
affection,  and  to  say  how  she  envied  everybody 
who  lived  in  a  country  where  there  were  police- 
men. She  has  applied  for  permission  to  travel 
if  it  should  be  necessary  for  some  personal  or 
family  reason ;  the  Grand  Duke  Boris  already 
has  this  permission. 

The  news  from  the  Crimea  has  not  been  good, 
but  I  expect  you  know  all  about  that.  Princess 
Irene  Yusupov  went  to  see  Kerenski  in  the 
Winter  Palace  in  the  apartments  of  Emperor 
Alexander  III  to  ask  that  that  Emperor's  widow 
should  not  be  ill-treated  !  I  think  it  was  brave 
of  her  ;  there  is  so  little  of  her  !  But  she  told 
me  that,  once  in  the  room,  she  was  no  longer 
frightened,  and  although  at  first  Kerenski  de- 
clared he  could  do  nothing,  he  ended  by  acceding 
to  all  she  asked.  She  is  a  plucky  little  thing  and 


190  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

19*7  clever.  Kerenski  did  not  kiss  her  hand  nor 
open  the  door  for  her,  because  she  got  to  it  before 
he  did.  He  did  not  keep  her  waiting.  The 
result  of  all  this  will  be — at  least  we  hope  so 
— that  the  Empress  Marie  will  come  to  Finland 
and  eventually  get  to  Denmark. 

The  Grand  Duke  Nicolai  Nicolaievich  is  still 
under  arrest  in  the  Crimea,  and  the  Empress 
Marie,  though  no  longer  under  arrest,  is  not 
allowed  to  leave  the  house.  A  telegram  to  that 
effect  came  to  the  Yusupovs  while  I  was  lunching 
there  ;  they  left  the  same  night  for  the  Crimea. 

I  think  this  is  all  my  news.  I  am  going  to-night 
to  General  Headquarters  at  Moghilev,  and  may 
be  away  for  a  few  days  ;  afterwards  I  hope  to 
be  able  to  leave  for  England,  so  please  do  not 
trouble  to  acknowledge  this  letter. 

The  Government  gets  weaker  every  day ;  they 
missed  the  psychological  moment  for  gaining 
complete  control  after  the  Bolshevik  Revolution 
(July  1 8),  which,  by  the  way,  was  a  most  unpleasant 
experience.  Kornilov  is  a  strong  little  man,  and 
we  may  yet  see  him  at  the  head  of  a  military 
dictatorship.  I  foresee  much  trouble  ahead  and 
much  bloodshed. 

Monday,  Arrived  Moghilev  1.40  p.m.  ;    Staff  automobile 

Aug.  20.  D.  to  meet  me<     TQ  H6tel  Bristol?  ^ere  the  Allied 

officers  are  lodged.  From  there  to  the  Aviation 
H.Q.,  where  the  General-in-Command,  a  Caucasian, 
immediately  received  me. 

Tuesday,  MOGHILEV.     To  the  Catholic  Cathedral,  endowed 

Aug.  21.  D.  ^    t^    Empress    Catherine,    the     Metropolitan 


AT  MOGHILEV  191 

Church  of  all  the  Catholics  in  Russia — an  im-  1917 
posing  edifice.  Saw  the  Caucasian  General,  who 
was  most  courteous  and  interested.  Had  a  large 
sack  made  and  filled  with  white  bread  to  take 
to  Petrograd.  After  dinner  drove  over  the  Dnieper 
Bridge  through  the  lower  town,  and  along  the 
Moscow  chausste  for  a  couple  of  miles.  This  is 
the  best  road  in  Russia,  specially  made  with  a 
steam-roller  for  the  Emperor  when  he  took  over 
the  Supreme  Command  from  his  cousin. 

MOGHILEV.  At  the  Wireless  H.Q.  met  my  Wednesday, 
Caucasian  General,  who  took  me  into  the  officers'  ug'  22' 
room,  presented  me  to  them,  and  scolded  them 
for  not  looking  after  me  properly.  Back  to  the 
Bristol  to  luncheon  with  the  Allied  Staff,  at  the 
invitation  of  General  Sir  Charles  Barter.  Sat 
between  him  and  Mordveno,  an  amusing  Russian, 
in  whose  villa  I  stayed  at  Yalta  with  the  Obo- 
lenskis.  Beyond  him  was  the  Rumanian  General, 
in  great  spirits  because  of  the  Rumanian  good 
news  and  resistance  to  Mackensen.  At  the  head 
of  the  table  was  the  Italian  Captain  Massengha, 
a  friend  of  all  my  friends,  agreeable  and  gay. 
Our  General  was  on  his  left.  Opposite  us  were 
two  French  officers,  a  major  and  a  captain.  The 
major  excessively  nice,  a  Frenchman  at  his  very 
best.  At  the  other  end  of  the  table  were  Major 
Neilson  and  Lieut.  Porters,  of  our  Staff.  The  lun- 
cheon was  not  bad,  although  the  General  complained. 
Compared  with  Petrograd,  I  thought  it  delicious. 
After  luncheon  he  took  me  to  his  room,  gave  me 
a  cigar,  and  told  me  many  interesting  things. 


192  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  General  Barter  is   the  right  man  in  the  right 

place  at  the  present  moment.  At  Stavka,  owing 
to  him,  England  has  it  all  her  own  way.  He  is 
the  only  Staff  representative  asked  by  Kornilov 
to  go  to  Moscow  for  the  Conference  :  I  was  told 
by  the  other  Allied  representatives  that  he  has 
the  complete  confidence  of  Kornilov,  whom  he 
sees  twice  a  day  and  plays  cards  with.  The 
French  are  rather  out  of  favour,  from  their  ex- 
pressing too  openly  their  opinion  of  the  disgraceful 
conduct  of  the  Russian  Army. 

Lieut.  Porters  came  to  the  door  to  see  me  off 
in  the  car  ordered  for  me  by  the  General.  At 
the  station,  three  versts  away,  found  my  reserved 
compartment  in  the  Stavka  carriage,  which  was 
attached  to  the  Kiev  express,  guarded  by  an 
N.C.O.  with  two  soldiers.  Travelled  with  George 
Popovich,  cousin  of  the  King  of  Montenegro,  on 
his  way  from  visiting  Kornilov,  whom  he  had 
known  all  his  life,  having  been  brought  up  in 
Russia. 

He  told  me  that  one  regiment  wrote  to  Kornilov, 
"  Please  give  us  a  flag  and  take  away  the  Red 
Flag,  for  the  Germans  taunt  us  and  say  a  red 
flag  is  the  sign  of  a  house  of  ill-fame  !  " 

Aug.  22.  Kornilov    has    for    his    bodyguard    a    squadron 

Narrative.  of  Turkestan  Cossacks  brought  from  the  Cau- 
casian Front.  They  run  small,  of  a  strong  Mon- 
golian type,  and  are  terrifying  to  look  at,  with 
enormous  sheepskin  caps,  generally  brown,  a 
few  white — worn  at  the  back  of  the  head,  so 
that  the  long  fur  falls  away  at  an  angle.  There 


KORNILOV'S  BODYGUARD  193 

was  only  one  tall  one  amongst  them.  Their  1917 
breeches  are  of  a  faded  rose-colour,  and  they 
carry  yataghans  as  sharp  as  razors — they  can 
shave  their  arms  with  them  ! — besides  a  dagger 
and  revolver.  They  are  wonderful  riders,  looking 
as  though  they  are  one  with  their  horses.  They 
put  the  fear  of  God  into  the  Russian  infantry 
soldiers  ;  if  one  of  them  approaches  a  knot  of 
soldiers  talking  politics,  the  knot  fades  away 
like  snow  before  the  sun.  A  woman  who  had 
lived  with  one  transferred  her  affections  to  a 
comrade :  her  first  admirer  threw  her  over 
the  bridge  into  the  Dnieper,  where  she  was 
drowned.  No  one  said  or  did  anything,  or  thought 
it  strange. 

Sitting  in  the  public  garden  opposite  my  hotel, 
where  the  crows  and  jackdaws  come  back  in 
hundreds  to  roost  at  night  in  the  elms,  waking 
me  up  every  morning  at  daylight  when  they  go 
off  to  the  plains  for  the  day,  I  noticed  a  pretty 
girl  of  the  working  class  talking  to  her  friend 
who  keeps  the  newspaper  kiosk  at  the  corner. 
A  knot  of  Cossacks  standing  near  were  evidently 
attracted  by  her,  but  she  took  no  heed  of  them 
until  the  tall,  good-looking  one  with  a  white 
sheepskin  cap  joined  them*  She  moved  towards 
them,  and  there  was  an  animated  conversation 
lasting  nearly  an  hour,  with  the  result  that  she 
and  he  walked  away  together,  leaving  the  rest 
furious  and  scowling.  Later  in  the  day  she 
was  wearing  a  new  black  silk  dress ;  in  the 
evening  I  met  them  on  the  chaussee  in  a  three- 

N 


194  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917        horse    izvoscbik,    and    next    morning    they    were 
sitting  close  together  on  a  bench  in  the  garden. 

Friday,  PETROGRAD.     No  milk.     Failing  to  find  Ambas- 

sador yesterday  on  arrival,  called  to-day  to  give 
him  my  Stavka  news. 

Friday,  Have   just   seen   a   procession   with   Red   Flag, 

ug'  24'  '  so  I  suppose  we  are  in  for  more  riots — a  great 
nuisance.  The  Government  weakens  daily,  and 
at  the  appointed  time  Kornilov  will  come  at  the 
head  of  a  regenerated  army  to  save  Petrograd. 
If  he  succeeds,  then  an  Emperor  in  three  months, 
I  say ! 

Aug.  25.  Last  night  all  the  Ministers  left  for  the  Moscow 

Narrative.  Conference  in  four  ordinary  trains  between  10.30 
p.m.  and  11.20  p.m.  Kerenski,  who  had  declined 
the  companionship  of  Terestchenko,  left  by  himself 
in  the  Emperor's  train,  arrived  in  Moscow  at 
1 1. 2  a.m.  and  drove  straight  to  the  Kremlin. 

Kornilov,  who  had  come  unexpectedly  to  Petro- 
grad on  Thursday  night  from  Moghilev,  passed 
several  hours  closeted  with  Kerenski  in  the  Winter 
Palace,  returning  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning 
on  Friday  to  Moghilev,  and  leaving  the  same 
evening  for  Moscow,  which  was  reached  on  Satur- 
day afternoon.  He  was  accompanied  from  the 
station  by  more  automobiles  than  Kerenski.  He 
brought  his  escort  of  Turkestan  Cossacks  with 
him  and  drove  straight  to  the  Iberski  Chapel, 
where  is  the  miraculous  icon  of  the  Iberia  Virgin, 
at  the  entrance  to  the  Kremlin,  and  where  the 
Emperors  always  prayed  before  entering  the 
Kremlin.  The  Cossacks  cleared  the  people  away 


KERENSKI  AS  DICTATOR  195 

and  made  a  line  on  each  side,  and  Kornilov  went  1917 
in  alone  to  pray.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Generals 
who  had  come  to  Moscow  for  the  Conference 
they  implored  Kornilov  to  give  them  a  Chief  or 
an  Emperor,  or  else  to  make  himself  head  of  the 
nation. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  Conference  Kerenski 
had  a  military  and  naval  representative  standing 
on  either  side  of  his  chair.  This  the  Reds  objected 
to  as  ridiculous  ;  he  did  not  do  it  again.  His 
speech  was  so  unintelligible  that  it  had  later  to  be 
dictated  to  the  Press  representatives. 

When  he  travels  by  train  he  often  orders  the 
speed  to  be  increased,  regardless  of  the  utter  con- 
fusion it  causes  all  down  the  lines  he  is  travelling 
on.  The  Emperor — the  Autocrat — never  did  this  ; 
he  was  far  too  considerate  of  the  convenience  of 
others  and  of  the  welfare  of  his  country. 

I   must   rest.     I   am   nearly   as   thin   as   when  Sunday, 
I  was  so  ill ;    there  is  nothing  to  eat  here— no  Aug' 26<  L* 
butter    for    four    days.     I    don't    mind.     I    don't 
complain.    Je  constate.     I  had  to  go  to   Stavka 
— glorious    weather,    and    I    enjoyed    my    visit. 
Some   one   says,   "  The   fear   of   Russia   is   worse 
than  Russia,"  and  I  am  sure  it  is  true.     During 
the   actual  riots   I   thoroughly    enjoy    the    street 
fighting,    but    I    am   worried    to    death   while    it 
threatens,  and  dead  tired  after  it  is  over. 

I  write  often  to  Dmitri  Pavlovich,  who  is  in 
Teheran.  Felix  Yusupov  and  his  wife  have  gone 
back  to  the  Crimea — better  so.  I  gave  him  a  good 
talking  to.  I  dine  two  or  three  times  a  week 


196  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  with  Boris  Vladimirovich.  He  has  the  good  heart 
of  his  grandfather.  I  expect  bad  times  again 
before  long. 

Tuesday,  Bacher,   of   the   Entente,   the   newspaper  which 

renders  the  cause  of  the  Allies  such  good  service, 
came  to  consult  me.  To  Embassy ;  His  Ex- 
cellency and  Lady  Georgina,  just  leaving  for 
Islands,  asked  me  to  accompany  them.  I  ex- 
plained Bacher's  newspaper  scheme  to  him.  Met 
a  dead  man,  propped  up  in  an  izvosckik.  Nothing 
surprises  one  in  Russia  ! 

Aug.  28.  L.  Since  writing  to  you  last  week  I  have  spent 
three  days  at  General  Headquarters  at  Moghilev, 
and  I  thought  perhaps  my  impressions  from  there 
might  interest  any  who  read  this  letter. 

Kornilov  came  to  Petrograd  to  see  Kerenski ; 
the  beastly  Soviet  of  Workmen  and  Soldiers 
wishes  to  turn  out  Kornilov  because  they  see 
he  is  gradually  gaining  the  hearts  of  the  troops — 
that  is  to  say,  already  the  600,000  Cossacks,  the 
cavalry,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  south-western 
army. 

Kerenski's  opening  speech  at  the  Moscow  Con- 
ference was  a  great  failure ;  it  was  in  the  same 
strain  as  he  has  been  accustomed  to  use  towards 
truculent  soldiers.  His  course  has  now  nearly 
run.  Things  are  very  different  from  what  they 
were  twelve  years  ago.  After  1905,  by-  the  sup- 
port of  the  Army  all  came  straight ;  now  the 
loss  of  the  Army  on  the  second  day  of  the  Revo- 
lution brought  about  the  fall  of  the  Emperor. 
A  short  time  ago  the  Grand  Duke  Michael  went 


GENERAL  KORNILOV  197 

as  a  simple  citizen  to  the  cinema  at  Gatchina.  1917 
He  was  recognised  by  the  soldiers,  who  sang  the 
hymn,  "God  save  the  Tsar."  He  fled,  and 
rightly  too.  At  a  theatre  in  Moscow  they  began 
to  play  the  "  Marseillaise "  ;  the  people  cried 
"Davolny"  ("Enough"),  and  then  the  band 
played  "  God  save  the  Tsar." 

Kornilov's  mother  is  a  native  of  Turkestan. 
He  is  always  supposed  to  have  been  with  the 
Boers  in  their  war  with  England.  When  asked 
about  this,  he  smiles  and  says,  "  Not  at  all. 
I  was  in  plain  clothes  in  the  North- West  Provinces 
of  India,  working  for  the  Russian  Secret  Service." 
He  talks  English  perfectly.  Thousands ,  of  letters 
reach  him  from  the  Front.  An  artillery  battery, 
asking  his  permission  to  fire  on  an  infantry 
regiment  near  them,  wrote,  "  They  call  them- 
selves Fils  de  la  Patrie,  but  they  are  really  Fils 
des  chiens." 

Our  War  Office  certainly  made  a  most  lucky 
choice  in  Sir  Charles  Barter,  qui  s'impose,  which 
is  exactly  what  is  always  required  in  Russia — now 
more  than  ever. 

I  have  heard  no  private  news  direct  from 
Tobolsk,  but  I  hear  that  the  former  Governor's 
palace — where  the  Emperor  and  his  family  are — 
has  very  few  rooms,  though  the  park  around  is 
fairly  large.  An  English  merchant  whom  I  know 
has  been  there,  and  tells  me  the  climate  is  not 
bad — except  for  being  actually  in  Asia  it  has 
none  of  the  disadvantages  of  Siberia. 

I  am  glad  to  see  the  firm  support  our  Ambas- 


198  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

sador  always  receives  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
He  has  been  so  wonderful,  bearing  all  the  weight 
of  the  Allies  on  his  shoulders,  and  receiving  all 
the  knocks  pour  quatre.  I  can't  think  why  the 
Government  does  not  send  for  him  to  come  to 
England  and  give  them  first-hand  information 
of  the  exact  position.  Besides,  poor  man !  he 
deserves  a  long  rest.  There  is  an  epidemic  of 
dysentery  in  Petrograd  and  in  many  towns ; 
he  had  a  touch  last  week.  The  weather  is  not 
too  hot  now — like  September  in  Italy.  I  hope 
to  leave  in  a  fortnight,  and  shall  be  pleased  to 
quit  this  distressful  country,  though  I  have 
an  immense  love  for  Russia.  There  is  nothing 
to  eat  in  Petrograd — no  milk,  no  bread,  no 
butter. 

I  hear  of  a  pitched  battle  in  Riga  between 
the  Letts  and  the  Russian  soldiers.  The  Germans 
send  over  three-rouble  notes  to  the  Russian 
trenches  in  the  night.  It  is  thought  that  the 
notes  are  made  in  Germany,  but  that  I  am  not 
sure  of.  Perhaps  even  before  I  leave  things  may 
come  to  a  head,  from  something  I  have  just 
heard — in  which  case  I  shall  see  Petrograd  again 
soaked  in  blood  ;  but  it  is  better  so.  The  trouble 
must  be  ended  and  done  with,  and  great  evils 
require  great  remedies. 

P.S.  To-day  is  fete.  I  looked  into  the  Votive 
Church  which  is  built  over  the  place  where 
Alexander  II  was  assassinated.  It  was  full,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  service,  as  before  the  Revolution, 
the  clergy  went  to  the  west  end  of  the  church 


REQUIEM  SERVICE  FOR  ALEXANDER  II  199 

to  say  the  prayers  for  the  dead  Emperor  on  the  1917 
spot  where — under  a  canopy  hung  with  many 
lamps  burning  night  and  day — the  pavement  is 
kept  exactly  as  it  was  in  the  street  in  1880.  At 
the  moment  when  they  said  the  prayer  for  the 
repose  of  his  soul  every  one  knelt  down,  including 
all  the  soldiers  and  even  the  wounded  soldiers. 

I  forget  if  I  have  already  written  in  a  previous 
letter  the  following  true  story.  On  March  13 
— fourth  day  of  the  Revolution  and  thirty- 
seventh  anniversary  of  the  Emperor's  murder 
— a  requiem  was  being  sung  at  one  of  the  Petro- 
grad  churches.  A  soldier  called  out,  "  Don't 
you  know  there  is  a  Revolution,  and  nobody 
prays  for  dead  Emperors  ?  "  The  priest  turned 
round  and  said,  "  In  Heaven  there  is  no  revo- 
lution," and  continued  the  service. 

There  is  an  excellent  French  daily  newspaper 
called  UEntente,  which  gives  all  the  news  and 
warmly  supports  the  Allies. 

On  my  way  back  from  Embassy  Bacher  thanked  Wednesday, 
me    for    arranging   interview,    and    told    me    how  AuS*29-     • 
much   impressed   he   was   with   His    Excellency's 
kindness  and  perspicuity. 

The    Empress   Marie's   health   has   lately   been  Saturday, 
giving   anxiety — the   result   of   all   the   trials   she  Sept<  I' 
has   undergone.     She   has    to   keep    quiet   and   is 
not    allowed   to   leave   her   room.     She   has   now 
been  told  about  the  departure  of  her  son  and  his 
family  for  Tobolsk,  and  is  naturally  much  upset. 
Kerenski  has  telegraphed  to  get  news  of  her  for  the 
Embassy,  as  the  newspapers  give  alarming  reports. 


200  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  We  are  all  very  worried  again.     The  Govern- 

ment, in  its  fear  of  the  Soviet,  still  hesitates 
to  give  Kornilov  the  necessary  powers  to  ensure 
discipline  in  the  Army.  The  burning  of  Kasan 
was  done  by  soldiers  supplied  with  drink  by 
German  agents.  The  same  thing  could  just  as 
well  happen  here  any  day — la  Jacquerie,  which 
for  some  time  I  have  feared.  I  hope  to  be  able 
to  leave  in  ten  days,  but  between  now  and  then 
much  may  happen. 

Sunday,  Dined  with  friends  in  a  private  room  at  Felicien's, 

a  restaurant  on  the  Islands,  on  the  edge  of  the 
water,  in  front  of  the  Empress  Marie's  former 
palace — whose  park  is  now  planted  with  potatoes 
— and  more  beautifully  situated  than  any  other 
restaurant  in  Europe.  Marvellous  evening — the 
sun  set  in  glory  with  aeroplanes  quivering  against 
the  golden  glow.  A  few  boats  gliding  by  and 
occasional  tsigane  songs  sung.  We  left  in  absolute 
stillness. 

Friday,  The    Grand    Dukes    Michael    and    Paul,    with 

"  their  respective  families,  have  both  been  placed 

under  arrest  in  their  own  homes.     Rumour  declares 

that    this    is    due    to    their    wives'    irresponsible 

political  chatter. 

When  the  Imperial  exiles  were  leaving  for 
Siberia,  some  one  in  the  hearing  of  the  little 
Tzesarevich  remarked :  "  What  a  beautiful  auto- 
mobile Kerenski  has  got !  "  The  boy  said,  "  Why, 
it  is  one  of  papa's  !  " 

I  have  means  of  knowing  that  we  are  on  the 
1  eve  of  great  events,  but  we  shall  have  to  wade 


KORNILOV  AND  KERENSKI         201 

in    blood     before    the    liberation    of    Russia     is   /     1917 
attained. 

At  Raoult,  the  wine-merchant's,  I  saw  a  militia-  Saturday, 
man   make   a   scene   with   a   soldier   who   had   a  Sept>  8-   D- 
permit  for  wine.     He  was  a  Bolshevik  pretending 
to  be  a  police-agent,   in   order  to  confiscate   the 
wine   for   his    own    benefit,    but    the   soldier   got 
away. 

Due    de    Luynes    arrived    from    Rumania    and  Sunday, 
left  at  night  for  Europe.     Bacher,  of  the  Entente,  Sept  9'   D' 
came  to  say  that  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs, 
Terestchenko,  while  en  route  for  Stavka  to  nego- 
tiate with  Kornilov,  had  been  stopped  by  telegram 
from    Kerenski.     Bacher   did   not   yet   know   the 
reason.     I  telephoned  this  at  once  to  the  Embassy. 

In  the  evening,  about  7,  Bacher  telephoned 
me  that  grave  events  were  happening ;  he  would 
give  me  particulars  later.  I  conveyed  this  also 
to  Lady  Georgina,  who  was  waiting  for  His 
Excellency's  return.  He  had  been  telephoned  for 
in  the  afternoon  by  the  Foreign  Office,  where  he 
went  on  his  return.  Bacher  arrived  just  after 
nine  o'clock  and  told  me  the  whole  story — that 
Terestchenko  had  been  recalled  by  Kerenski  be- 
cause Kornilov  had  sent  an  ultimatum  to  the  Pro- 
visional Government  and  had  arrested  Filinenkov 
at  Stavka.  On  that,  Kerenski  summarily  dismissed 
Kornilov  from  the  High  Command,  but  the  latter 
refused  point-blank  to  give  it  up,  and  was  about  to 
march  on  Petrograd  with  his  Cossacks. 

At  Madame  Polovtsov's,  where  I  went  at  ten 
o'clock,  all  this  was  confirmed.  It  was  already 


202  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

long  past  midnight  when  I  got  back,  and  I 
received  another  message  from  Bacher,  who  turned 
up  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  with  the  news 
that  there  had  been  a  slight  detente,  but  that, 
all  the  same,  Kornilov  with  his  Cossacks  would 
certainly  come  to  Petrograd. 

Monday,  No   bread   since    Friday.     Did   not   see   Bacher 

all  day.  He  came  at  two  o'clock  next  morning ; 
the  news  he  brought  then  was  all  good.  The 
Ismailovski  Guards  Regiment  had  gone  over  to 
Kornilov,  who  had  already  70,000  troops  with 
him. 

Tuesday,  Bread — only    one     slice !     Fete-day,    but    very 

few  people  at  the  Kasan  Sobor  (cathedral  in  the 
Nevski) — sure  sign  of  the  general  unrest.  Myriads 
of  candles  burning  before  the  Kasan  icon.  In 
the  afternoon  to  the  church  of  the  Ismailovski 
Barracks  and  saw  four  lorries  delivering  cart- 
ridges at  the  barracks.  Some  officers  told  me 
they  had  met  the  Grand  Duke  Michael  in  a 
guarded  car.  He  had  been  brought  up  from 
Gatchina  to  the  Etat-Major.  My  windows  open 
all  day,  in  order  to  hear  the  first  signs  of  the 
Cossacks'  arrival.  As  the  afternoon  advanced 
and  I  heard  no  firing,  my  heart  sank,  with  a 
presentiment  that  the  coup  d'etat  had  failed. 

Left  at  5  on  pressing  invitation  to  dine  j  at 
Tsarskoe  Selo  with  the  Grand  Duke  Boris,  whom 
I  found  sitting  in  a  chair  looking  the  picture 
of  misery — the  first  time  he  has  been  really  de- 
pressed since  the  abdication.  On  the  way  down, 
troops  all  along  the  track.  The  private  line  of 


FAILURE  OF  KORNILOV  203 

the  Emperor,  till  now  untouched,  blown  up.  It  1917 
connected  the  main  lines.  Before  going  to  dinner 
drove  to  Pavlovsk  in  hopes  of  getting  in  touch 
with  Kornilov's  advance-guard,  who  were  occu- 
pying the  woods.  The  Government  troops  would 
not  allow  me  to  pas.  The  telephone  to  Petrograd 
was  cut. 

These  last  few  days  have  seemed  like  a  life-  Wednesday, 
time.  Yesterday  I  went  through  more  conflicting  Sept<  I2'  ' 
emotions  than  at  any  time  since  the  murder 
of  the  "  Unmentionable."  The  announcement  of 
Kornilov's  submission,  though  published  by  all 
the  newspapers,  comes  only  from  the  Provisional 
Government.  Several  members  of  a  French  Mis- 
sion, whom  I  met  in  the  hall  of  the  hotel,  credited 
this  news.  They  all  thought  it  was  a  tragedy. 
For  my  part,  I  am  still  not  quite  sure  ;  it  re- 
quires time  to  verify  Provisional  Government 
"  news."  Meanwhile  there  is  nothing  heard  from 
Kornilov. 

Ill  all  to-day  from  overstrung  nerves  after  Thursday, 
the  intense  excitement  of  yesterday.  People  of  pt' I3' 
all  classes  profoundly  disappointed  at  the  tragedy 
of  Kornilov's  miscalculation.  On  Kornilov's  ap- 
proach sixty  thousand  workmen  were  armed  by 
the  Provisional  Government.  They  keep  their  arms, 
so  we  are  completely  in  their  power.  Saint- 
Sauveur  told  me  a  regiment  at  Viborg  had  killed 
its  officers.  At  6.30,  as  I  had  shown  no  sign 
of  life  all  day,  Lady  Georgina  telephoned  to  ask 
if  I  had  any  news. 

It    is    all    over !     Kornilov    has    failed.     How 


204  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  it  happened  we  don't  know  yet,  but  to-day  he 
is  to  be  brought  to  Petrograd  under  arrest.  If 
he  had  succeeded — as  he  ought  to  have  done, 
once  he  had  embarked  on  so  important  an  under- 
taking— we  should  have  had  order  restored. 

At  noon  at  the  Embassy  saw  Captain  Rowland 
Smith,  whose  judgment  is  invariably  right.  Fore- 
seeing the  failure  of  Kornilov,  he  explained  his 
reasons  to  me  two  days  before,  when  Kornilov's 
success  was  still  in  the  balance.  He  does  not 
think  there  was  any  treachery,  because  of  the 
fear  inspired  in  Petrograd  by  the  expectation 
of  Kornilov's  arrival. 

To  give  you  an  idea  of  this  dread  of  Kornilov's 
impending  arrival : — During  Monday  and  Tuesday 
the  deserters,  who  for  months  had  filled  the 
streets  and  crammed  the  trams,  all  vanished. 
The  Grand  Duke  Andre's  palace  had  been  com- 
mandeered by  the  Provisional  Government  for 
Tchernov,  the  Minister  of  Agriculture — a  German 
Jew  whose  real  name  is  Liebermann.  At  3  a.m. 
on  Tuesday  morning — with  automobiles  waiting 
since  midnight — he  and  his  wife  and  beastly 
ill-mannered  children  and  household,  anticipating 
Kornilov's  entry  into  Petrograd,  hastily  cleared 
out,  and  it  was  only  after  midday  that  they 
sneaked  back  in  bits  to  reoccupy  the  palace. 
If  only  Kornilov  had  arrived,  Petrograd  was 
his  for  sure.  History  repeats  itself — 18  Fructidor  I 

From  Tobolsk  one  hears  that  all  the  peasants 
from  miles  around — several  hundred  thousand, 
without  exaggeration — led  by  a  holy  man,  kneel 


GRAND  DUKES  UNDER  ARREST     205 

outside  the  palace  at  Tobolsk  and  pray  for  the        1917 
Emperor.     The  soldiers  cannot  drive  them  away. 
They  have  proclaimed  him  "  Emperor  of  Siberia." 
This  item  of  news,  as  might  be  guessed,  is  not 
allowed  to  be  published  in  the  newspapers  ! 

The  arrested  Grand  Dukes  and  their  families 
are  all  in  Petrograd  to-day,  lodged  in  the  Home 
Office.  Thanks  to  those  two  silly  women,  prob- 
ably all  the  Grand  Dukes  will  go  to  Siberia  !  My 
Grand  Duchess  is  quietly  living  in  the  Caucasus, 
and  if  she  is  sent  to  Siberia  I  fear  much  for  her 
health.  She  lives  her  own  quiet  life,  et  elle  ne  se 
mele  de  rien.  The  wedding  of  the  little  Grand 
Duchess  Marie  II,  which  was  to  have  taken  place 
on  Sunday,  was  fixed  for  yesterday ;  but  owing 
to  absence  of  witnesses,  and  other  reasons,  it  has 
again  been  put  off.  She  is  living  at  Pavlovsk  with 
her  grandmother,  Olga,  Queen  of  the  Hellenes. 
She  is  marrying  a  young  man  of  highest  character 
a  few  months  younger  than  herself,  Prince  Alex- 
ander Putiatin.  I  feel  sure  they  will  be  quite 
happy. 

As  the  Kornilov  attempt  to  bring  order  has 
failed,  I  will  tell  you  what  I  foresee  now,  for 
the  cards  are  shuffled  again.  Kerenski  is  already 
in  the  hands  of  the  Soviet.  The  Soviet  now 
have  virtually  full  power,  and  the  Bolsheviki 
will  become  more  daring  and  try  to  turn  out  the 
Government ;  then  would  come  anarchy,  with 
70,000  workmen  fully  armed.  With  the  Bolsheviki 
are  all  the  criminal  classes.  The  failure  of  Kor- 
nilov has  completely  knocked  me  over,  and 


206  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  yesterday  I  could  not  walk.  I  still  foresee  an 
ocean  of  blood  before  order  comes. 

Later,  same  Went  for  a  walk  and  met  the  Grand  Duchess 
Marie  II  with  her  fiance.  She  tells  me  the  wed- 
ding is  postponed  in  the  hopes  of  her  father 
the  Grand  Duke  Paul's  relief  from  arrest,  of  which 
she  thinks  there  is  a  chance,  as  there  was  nothing 
against  him  personally. 

Friday,  In  the  evening  learnt  from  Lady  Georgina 

that  the  Ambassador  was  ill  in  bed  with  fever. 
In  the  middle  of  the  night  I  was  called  to  the 
telephone  and  told  that  Kerenski  had  resigned, 
that  Tchernov  and  Skobolev  were  to  form  a 
Ministry — supreme  authority  thus  passing  into 
the  hands  of  the  Soviet.  Learnt  later  that  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  Soviet  members 
of  the  Ministry  left  en  masse  for  the  Smolny 
Institute,  leaving  Kerenski,  with  four  other 
Ministers,  again  in  power  after  an  all-night  sitting 
till  7.  How  long  he  can  retain  it  remains  to 
be  seen.  An  undiluted  Soviet  Government  would 
mean  massacres  and  a  separate  peace  with  Ger- 
many. 

Saturday,  No  news  all  day.  Everything  quite  quiet — 
much  too  quiet,  in  fact.  Late  at  night  came 
the  statement  that  the  Soviet  had  given  the 
Provisional  Government  ten  days'  respite  from 
interference  ;  that  Terestchenko  had  been  to  see 
the  British  Ambassador  before  noon  ;  and  that 
in  the  afternoon  the  Allied  Ambassadors  had 
assembled  at  the  British  Embassy  and  been 
admitted  to  His  Excellency's  bedroom,  where 


REPUBLIC  PROCLAIMED  207 

they    stayed    nearly    two    hours.     Happily    he    is         1917 
better    to-night.     At    seven    o'clock    I    felt    more 
reassured  on  the  situation  and  at  eleven  o'clock 
still  more  so. 

Lovely  autumn  weather.     Gordon  Bennett  wired  Sunday, 
me    to   interview    Kerenski    for    a    hundred-word  Sept* l6'  D' 
message  to  New  York  Herald,  on  situation.     Wrote 
about  this  to  Terestchenko.* 

My  letter   had   hardly   left   on    Saturday,    Sep-  Monday, 
tember  15,  when  the  news  came  in  that  Kerenski  Sept  I7'  L' 
remains  in  power  and  the   Soviet  leaves  him  in 
peace    for    ten    days.     This    news    was    very    re- 
assuring after  the  fear  of  Skobolev  and  Tchernov's 
being  in   power,    as   they  were,   for   about   three 
hours  that  night. 

On  Saturday  at  midday  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment sent  guards  for  the  English  Embassy,  but 
by  the  evening  the  situation  had  calmed  and 
yesterday  the  Republic  was  announced.  Given 
that  Kornilov  is  beaten,  the  strengthening  of 
the  Provisional  Government  is  all  that  one  can 
ask  for. 

In  the  meantime  the  news  from  different  towns 
is  most  disquieting.  Twenty-six  generals  and 
officers  were  massacred  at  Viborg.  An  English 
lady  saw  it  all.  A  poor  officer  who  had  been 
thrown  into  the  river  swam  about  for  nearly 
an  hour,  pelted  by  the  soldiers  with  logs  of  wood. 
One  general  insisted  on  jumping  off  the  bridge, 
instead  of  being  thrown  !  This  has  been  followed 
by  a  massacre  of  officers  at  Dvinsk.  A  Prince 
*  I  left  before  this  was  arranged. 


208  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  Viazemski  has  been  murdered  by  his  peasants — 
his  eyes  first  put  out  and  his  sufferings  prolonged 
several  hours.  His  young  wife  was  in  the  house 
and  had  to  witness  it  all. 

To-night  the  priest  leaves  for  Helsingfors  to 
baptize  the  Grand  Duke  KyrilFs  baby — Vladimir. 
The  Grand  Duke  Boris  is  godfather,  but  has  been 
advised  by  the  Government  not  to  go  there. 

If  the  Soviet  gets  the  upper  hand,  the  Emperor 
may  be  tried,  and  all  the  Imperial  family  will 
run  great  risks,  and  peace  with  Germany  will  be 
made  in  forty-eight  hours.  So  you  will  realise 
what  my  fear  was  on  Saturday,  as  long  as  I  was 
under  the  impression  of  the  Soviet's  being  in 
power.  No  respectable  person's  life  would  be 
worth  a  couple  of  sous. 

Last  night  I  dined  at  the  Embassy.  The 
Ambassador  still  in  bed  with  fever.  Lady  Barclay 
(wife  of  our  Minister  at  Jassy)  and  General  Sir 
Charles  Barter  from  Stavka  dined.  He  had  seen 
Kerenski  during  the  day,  if  not  exactly  to  in- 
tercede for  Kornilov,  at  least  to  explain  the  actual 
situation  to  him.  There  is  still  a  mystery  about 
the  failure,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  Kerenski 
was  in  the  complot  with  Kornilov,  and  that 
through  Lvov's  treachery — or  madness — Kerenski 
left  Kornilov  in  the  lurch.* 
Sept.  20.  L.  I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  the  Grand 

*  Lvov — cousin  of  the  former  President  of  the  Council — 
was  sent  from  Moscow  by  Kerenski  to  see  how  the  land  lay 
at  Moghilev  and  report  to  him.  Apparently  he  was  taken 
into  Kornilov's  confidence,  and  is  said  to  have  given  the 
General  away  to  Kerenski — possibly  in  a  fit  of  insanity. 


PETROGRAD  WITHOUT  BREAD      209 

Duchess  from  Kislovodsk,  telling  me  that  the  1917 
night  before — September  13-14 — she  wrote  that 
the  Committee  of  Workmen  and  Soldiers  came 
to  her  house  at  2.30  a.m.  and  stayed  till  6,  opening, 
searching,  and  turning  everything  topsy-turvy.  I 
have  written  at  once  to  Terestchenko  to  apprise 
him  of  the  fact.  As  we  are  in  a  Republic,  the 
Grand  Duchess  has  as  much  right  to  be  protected 
as  he  himself,  or  the  man  who  cleans  my  boots. 

The  little  Grand  Duchess  Marie  was  at  last 
married  yesterday  afternoon  at  Pavlovsk. 

I  have  no  news  from  the  Crimea,  but  an  English- 
man who  had  proposed  himself  to  stay  there 
with  friends  received  a  letter  saying  he  had  much 
better  not  come. 

At  the  Embassy  last  night  found  the  Ambassador  Sept.  21. 
better ;  he  has  been  out.  We  are  still  being 
threatened  for  next  Tuesday  or  Wednesday  with 
a  demonstration  by  the  Bolsheviki.  This,  though 
it  has  been  so  constantly  promised  and  so  much 
talked  about,  may  end  only  in  words.  Anyhow, 
the  ten  days'  grace  the  Soviet  have  allowed  the 
Provisional  Government  is  over  on  Tuesday. 

No   bread   yesterday   or   to-day.     To   Embassy  Monday, 
to  see  the  Naval  Attache,  Commander  Grenfell,  SePt-24-.£>- 
to    thank   him    for   his    kindly   assistance    during 
my  stay.     Dined  at  Donon's.     The  Preobrajenski 
Guards,    on    their    own,    held    up    the    restaurant 
and  searched  for  wine,  and  took  away  everything 
they  thought  fit,  including  my  dinner ! 

Yesterday  to  Tsarskoe  Selo  to  wish  the  Grand  Wednesday, 
Duke    Boris    "Good-bye    and   Good   Luck."    He  Sept-26' jD' 

o 


210  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

1917  !  was  very  sad,  and  said,  "  You  are  my  last  link 
with  civilisation."  On  my  return,  went  to  the 
Embassy  to  thank  His  Excellency  and  Lady 
Georgina  for  their  infinite  kindness  to  me  during 
my  sojourn  in  Russia. 

This  morning  left  Petrograd  at  7.30  for  England. 

Sunday*     ,       ABERDEEN.    Landed  at   Q  a.m. ;   delighted    to 
Oct.  6.  D.  \  v 

see  policemen  again. 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  I 

PETITION  TO  THE  EMPEROR  ON  BEHALF 
OF  THE  GRAND  DUKE  DMITRI  PAVLO- 
VICH,  AND  THE  EMPEROR'S  REPLY 
THERETO 

YOUR  MAJESTY, — We  all,  whose  names  you  will 
find  at  the  end  of  this  letter,  implore  you  to  recon- 
sider your  harsh  decision  concerning  the  fate  of 
the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Pavlovich. 

We  know  that  he  is  ill  and  quite  unnerved  by 
all  he  has  gone  through.  You,  who  were  his 
Guardian  and  his  Supreme  Protector  in  infancy 
and  boyhood,  well  know  how  deeply  he  loved  You 
and  Our  Country. 

Most  heartily  do  we  implore  Your  Majesty,  in 
consideration  of  his  weak  health  and  his  youth, 
to  allow  the  Grand  Duke  to  go  and  live  on  his 
own  estates,  either  at  Oncova  or  at  Illinskoe. 

Your  Majesty  must  know  the  very  hard  condi- 
tions under  which  our  troops  have  to  live  in  Persia — 
without  shelter  and  in  constant  peril  to  health  and 
life. 

To  have  to  live  there  would  be  for  the  Grand 
Duke  almost  certain  death,  and  in  the  heart  of 
Your  Majesty  surely  a  feeling  of  pity  will  be 

213 


214  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

awakened  towards  this  young  man  who  from  child- 
hood had  the  joy  of  living  in  your  house,  and 
whom  you  loved  and  to  whom  you  used  to  be  like 
a  father. 

May  God  inspire  you  and  guide  you  to  turn 
wrath  into  mercy ! 

Your  Majesty's  most  loving  and  devoted, 

OLGA,  Queen  of  Greece  ; 
MARIE,  Grand  Duchess  Vladimir  ; 

KYRILL,  VICTORIA,  BORIS,  ANDR£ 
(her  children)  ; 

PAUL  (father)  ; 
MARIE  (sister)  ; 
ELIZABETH,  Grand  Duchess  Constantine ; 

JOANNA,  H£LENE,  GABRIEL, 

CONSTANTINE,  IGOR  (her  children) ; 
NICOLAI  MICHAILOVICH  ; 
SERGEI  MICHAILOVICH. 


Nobody  has  the  right  to  kill  on  his  own  private 
judgment.  I  know  that  there  are  many  others  besides 
Dmitri  Pavlovich  whose  consciences  give  them  no 
rest,  because  they  are  compromised.  I  am  astonished 
that  you  should  have  applied  to  me. — NICOLAI.* 


*  The  petition   was   endorsed  by  the   Emperor  in  these 
cms. 


terms 


APPENDIX  II 

MEMORANDUM    PRIVATELY    CIRCULATED 
ON  DECEMBER  31,  1916 

The  following  narrative  represents  what  was  gene- 
rally believed,  up  to  the  time  of  the  revolution, 
about  the  death  of  Rasputin 

GREGORY  RASPUTIN  was  shot  in  a  room  in  the 
basement  of  the  palace  of  Prince  Yusupov  on  the 
Moika  Canal  shortly  after  7  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  December  30,  1917  (N.S.).  The  Grand  Duke 
Dmitri  Pavlovich,  Princes  Feodor  and  Nikita 
Alexandrovich,  and  the  young  Prince  Felix  Yusupov 
were  in  the  palace,  and  were  all  privy  to  the  shoot- 
ing. Conjointly  with  other  young  Princes  of  the 
Blood,  including  the  sons  of  the  late  Grand  Duke 
Constantine,  they  had  decided  some  time  previously 
to  "  remove "  Rasputin,  because  they  regarded 
him  as  the  cause  of  a  dangerous  scandal  affecting 
the  interests  of  the  Dynasty  and  the  Empire.  So 
many  persons  being  involved  in  the  plot,  rumours 
were  bound  to  leak  out,  and  as  far  back  as  Monday 
last  it  was  reported  that  Rasputin's  death  might 
be  expected  at  any  time.  It  was  even  understood 
that  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine 
had  been  selected  by  lot  to  perform  the  deed,  but 

215 


216  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

that   he   had   hesitated    and    the   execution    been 
consequently  postponed. 

Prince  Yusupov  and  the  young  Princes,  his 
brothers-in-law,  together  with  the  other  Imperial 
Princes,  used  to  assemble  at  night  at  the  Yusupov 
Palace,  and  to  these  gatherings  they  frequently 
invited  Rasputin,  their  object  being  to  extract  from 
him  as  much  information  as  possible  as  to  the 
doings  of  august  personages.  While  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  Rasputin  would  give  away,  not 
only  his  own  secrets,  but  also  those  of  the  various 
Ministerial  and  other  political  changes  that  have 
so  much  incensed  Russian  public  opinion  within 
recent  months — notably  the  dismissal  of  Sazonov, 
the  appointment  of  Stunner,  and  the  successive 
and  persistent  failures  to  introduce  a  stable  Ministry 
and  internal  reforms. 

It  was  at  these  nocturnal  meetings  that  the  idea 
of  removing  Rasputin  assumed  concrete  form. 
When  the  Duma  was  suddenly  prorogued  on 
December  29,  the  princely  conspirators  decided 
that  further  delay  would  be  dangerous.  The 
disclosures  made  by  Rasputin  himself  left  no 
doubts  in  the  minds  of  his  hosts  that  he  had  also 
played  some  part  in  the  prorogation  of  the  Duma. 
This  only  strengthened  their  resolve  to  do  away 
with  him  at  once.  They  accordingly  invited  him 
to  meet  them  as  usual,  and,  in  order  to  allay  his 
possible  suspicions,  some  of  Rasputin's  lady  friends 
were  included  in  the  invitation. 

From  the  reports  of  the  police  investigations 
cited  below,  and  from  other  information  obtained 


APPENDIX  II  217 

by  reporters  on  the  staff  of  the  Novoe  Vremya^  it 
would  appear  that  about  2.30  at  night  Rasputin 
was  told  that  he  would  have  to  die,  and  he  was 
given  the  option  of  committing  suicide  or  being 
killed.  A  revolver  was  placed  in  his  hand,  but 
he  flatly  declined  to  commit  suicide  and  discharged 
the  weapon  somewhere  in  the  direction  of  the 
Grand  Duke  Dmitri.  The  bullet  smashed  a  pane 
of  glass,  and  the  sound  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  police  outside.  Subsequently  he  was  killed 
and  his  body  removed  to  a  place  unknown,  presum- 
ably Tsarskoe  Selo. 


APPENDIX  III 

THE  POLICE  REPORT  OF  DECEMBER  30, 1916 

The  following  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  Official 
Report  handed  in  by  the  Police 

TO-DAY  at  about  2.30  in  the  morning,  the  police- 
man who  stands  on  guard  at  the  house  of  the 
Home  Office  situated  on  the  Morskaia  heard  a 
detonation  from  the  palace  of  Prince  Yusupov 
situated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Moika.  As 
this  post  is  a  special  one  and  the  policeman  on 
duty  is  forbidden  to  leave  it,  he  went  into  the 
Home  Office  premises  and  communicated  by  tele- 
phone with  the  police  sergeant  on  duty  at  the 
adjoining  station.  Then  the  news  of  the  shooting 
was  passed  on  to  the  Kasan  police  district  in 
which  the  palace  is  situated.  The  chief  police 
officer,  Colonel  Rogov,  with  a  detachment  of  men, 
proceeded  to  the  spot.  Examination  of  the  dvornik 
on  duty  at  the  adjoining  house  elicited  the  fact 
that  the  shot  had  been  fired  from  the  young 
Prince's  side  of  the  palace.  In  order  to  ascertain 
the  causes  of  the  shooting  in  the  palace,  the  assistant 
police  officer,  Captain  Krylov,  was  ordered  to  enter 
the  building,  and  he  was  informed  by  the  butler 
that  a  reception  was  proceeding  inside,  and  that 

218 


APPENDIX  III  219 

one  of  the  guests,  while  practising  at  a  target,  had 
missed  his  aim  and  fired  into  the  window,  in  proof 
whereof  Captain  Krylov  was  shown  the  broken 
window  on  the  ground  floor  overlooking  the  fore- 
court of  the  adjoining  house.  The  data  obtained 
through  the  investigations  were  communicated  by 
Colonel  Rogov  the  same  night  to  the  Police  Master 
of  the  Second  Division,  Major-General  Grigoriev, 
and  to  M.  Chaplygin,  the  official  on  duty  at  the 
Prefecture. 

Scarcely  had  the  police  officers  left  the  palace 
when  a  motor-car  drove  up  along  the  Moika  Canal 
quay  and  stopped  near  a  small  foot-bridge  almost 
facing  the  palace.  Four  men  were  seen  to  alight 
from  the  car.  The  moment  they  had  left  it  the 
chauffeur  extinguished  the  lights,  and,  putting  on 
full  speed,  made  off  along  the  canal.  This  scene 
was  witnessed  by  a  detective  belonging  to  the 
Okhrana,  named  Tihomirov,  who  had  been  detailed 
by  the  Police  Department  to  look  after  Rasputin. 
Tihomirov — presuming  that  the  men  who  entered 
the  palace,  not  by  the  main  entrance,  but  from  a 
door  situated  on  the  side  of  the  palace  and  open- 
ing into  the  forecourt  of  the  adjoining  house, 
were  robbers — hurried  across  the  canal  to  the 
police  station,  and  thence  telephoned  a  report  of 
what  he  had  observed  to  the  Chief  of  the  Secret 
Police. 

Colonel  Rogov  had  no  sooner  returned  to  his 
home  than  he  was  notified  from  the  Okhrana  that 
information  had  been  received  relative  to  an  attack 
on  the  palace  of  Prince  Yusupov.  A  number  of 


220  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

police  officers  were  again  dispatched  there.  The 
butler  came  out  and  explained  to  them  that  some 
very  highly  placed  guests  had  just  arrived  from 
the  environs  of  Petrograd.  A  report  about  this 
was  made  during  the  course  of  the  night  to  the 
Prefect,  General  Balk. 

Shortly  after  6  a.m.,  at  the  police  station  beside 
the  palace,  while  the  police  officers  who  had  come 
off  duty  were  being  questioned  in  the  ordinary 
course  as  to  the  events  of  the  night,  the  sound  of 
several  police  whistles  was  heard  from  the  street. 
This  drew  the  constables  and  police  sergeants  to 
the  windows,  whence  they  perceived  that  from 
the  main  entrance  of  the  Prince's  palace  two  women 
were  being  helped  out,  and  that  they  were  offering 
resistance  to  their  ejection  and  refusing  to  enter 
a  motor-car,  and  doing  their  best  to  force  a  way 
back  into  the  palace.  In  response  to  their  pro- 
testations the  detectives  stationed  along  the  canal 
had  sounded  the  alarm.  By  the  time  the  police 
rushed  out  of  the  police  station  the  motor-car 
was  already  whirling  off  along  the  quay.  Hasten- 
ing out  after  his  men,  the  police  inspector,  Colonel 
Borozdin,  hailed  the  motor-car  belonging  to  the 
Secret  Police,  which  was  permanently  on  duty  at 
the  Home  Office  building,  and  started  off  in  pursuit. 
At  the  same  time  his  men  were  hurried  to  the 
palace.  It  was  impossible  to  overtake  the  fugitive 
car  on  account  of  its  superior  speed  ;  moreover, 
it  carried  neither  number  nor  lights.  To  the 
police  who  came  to  inquire  at  the  palace  the 
explanation  was  offered  that  two  ladies  belonging 


APPENDIX  III  221 

to  the  demi-monde  had  been  misconducting  them- 
selves and  been  invited  to  leave  the  palace. 

On  the  nocturnal  adventures  on  the  Moika  a 
joint  personal  report  was  made  to  the  Prefect  in 
the  morning  by  Colonel  Rogov  and  Colonel  Boroz- 
din.  The  whole  affair  seemed  to  be  at  an  end 
when  suddenly  from  the  forecourt  alongside  the 
palace  four  shots  were  heard  in  rapid  succession. 
Once  more  the  alarm  was  sounded  in  both  police 
stations,  and  again  detachments  of  police  appeared 
at  the  palace.  This  time  an  official  wearing 
colonel's  uniform  came  out  to  them  and  announced 
categorically  that  within  the  Prince's  palace  there 
was  present  a  Grand  Duke,  and  that  H.I.H.  would 
make  in  person  to  the  proper  quarters  any  explana- 
tions that  might  be  necessary.  After  such  a 
declaration,  the  police  inspector,  unable  to  obtain 
any  enlightenment  whatsoever,  returned  to  his 
official  duties,  leaving  a  patrol  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Moika  by  way  of  precaution.  About 
an  hour  had  passed  when  suddenly  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Blue  Bridge  a  motor-car  drove  up  to 
the  palace.  The  servants,  assisted  by  the  chauf- 
feur, in  the  presence  of  an  officer  wearing  a  long 
fur  cloak,  carried  out  what  looked  like  a  human 
body  and  placed  it  in  the  car.  The  chauffeur 
jumped  in,  and,  putting  on  full  speed,  made  off 
along  the  canal  side  and  promptly  disappeared. 
Almost  at  the  same  time  General  Grigoriev  was 
informed  from  the  Prefecture  that  Rasputin  had 
been  killed  in  the  Yusupov  Palace. 

The  police  officials   on  arriving  at   the   palace 


222  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

were  met  this  time  by  Prince  Felix  Yusupov  him- 
self, who  told  them  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
draw  up  a  report  as  to  the  killing  of  Rasputin. 
At  first  this  announcement  was  not  accepted 
seriously  in  view  of  all  the  strange  occurrences  of 
the  night.  But  the  police  officials  were  invited  to 
come  into  the  dining-room  in  the  basement,  and 
were  there  shown  the  spot  where  the  body  had 
been  lying.  They  saw  on  the  floor  a  pool  of  con- 
gealed blood,  and  traces  of  blood  were  also  visible 
on  the  snow  in  the  forecourt  of  the  adjoining 
house.  In  answer  to  the  question  where  the  body 
was,  the  Prince  replied  that  the  body  was  where 
it  should  be,  declining  to  give  any  further  explana- 
tion. 

Soon  afterwards  the  palace  was  visited  by  the 
Director  of  the  Police  Department,  the  Chief  of 
the  Secret  Police,  and  the  whole  of  the  Generals 
of  Gendarmerie.  The  police  patrols  were  then 
relegated  to  their  various  stations,  and  at  the 
subsequent  investigation  sent  over  to  the  officials 
of  the  Police  Department.  At  5  o'clock  on  the 
following  afternoon  a  secret  telegram  was  sent  to 
every  police  station  with  a  view  to  ascertaining 
the  itinerary  of  the  motor-cars  which  had  come 
up  to  the  Prince's  palace  during  the  night,  and 
of  the  one  which  had  removed  Rasputin's  body  in 
the  morning.  At  the  same  time  numerous  police 
patrols  were  dispatched  to  the  islands  in  the  Neva 
and  to  the  suburban  districts, 


INDEX 


INDEX 


ABAMELEK,  70 

Abdication  of  the  Emperor,  124 
Absolutism,  i 
Alexander  I,  88 
Alexander  II,  52,  96,  198 
Alexander  III,  169,  185 
Alexander  Michailovich,  31, 59, 93 
Alexeiev,  19 

Andr6  Vladimirovich,  29,  39,  61, 
90,97 

BAKU,  53 

Bariatinski,  70,  162,  1 66 

Bark,  69,  98 

Belosselski,   12,  58,  60,   74,   98, 

100,  142 

Benckendorff,  26 
Bennett,  119,  127 
"Blue  Bird"  dance,  31 
Bolsheviks,  I,  176-7,  190,  205 
Boris  Vladimirovich,  18,  27,  29, 

32,  45,  58,  59,  7°,  77'  9<>,  98, 

101,  104,  168,  202,  209 
Branicka,  59 
Brassov,  68,  136 
Brooke,  Lord,  99 
Buchanan,  12,  17,  23,  44,  59,  62, 

77,  A  9i,  94,  Il6-7.  210,  and 
passim 
Buckingham  Palace,  66 

CALLWELL,  53 

Caucasus,  55 

Catherine  II,  2,  12,  14,  15 


Charkov,  167 
Chinese  Palace,  24 
Christiania,  43 
Constitution,  4,  129,  143 
Cossacks,   1 01-2,   106,   173,   177, 

193 

Covent  Garden,  55 
Cross  Day,  Holy,  26,  69 
Cunard,  12 

DERFELDEN,  19,  91,  106 

Dmitri  Pavlovich,  7,  23,  31,  32, 
33,  58,  73,  74,  7&-78,  83-89, 
92-3*  95,  131,  156,  169,  195; 
see  Appendix  I,  213 

Dolgoruki,  164-5 

Dolgorukov,  46 

Duma,  2,  52,  91,  112,  115,  120 

Duncannon,  Lord,  99 

Dvinsk,  34,  207 

EASTER,  57 

Elizabeth,  Empress,  24,  127 
Emperor  Nicolas  II,  5,  24,  29, 
30,  36,  39,  45-51,  52,  56,  61, 
83,  88,  91,  92,  94-5,  98,  in. 
115-6,  121-2,  124-7,  I3°»  J33~ 
4,  136,  144-6,  179,  181,  184-7, 

195 
Empress  Alexandra,   5,   27,   28, 

30,  35,  52,  73,  74,  78,  83,  88, 
91,  94,  118,  122,  128-9,  134-8. 
144,  186,  188 
England  hated,  151 


225 


226 


RUSSIAN  DIARY 


FEODOROVSKI  Sobor,  25,  27,  29, 

125 

Fire,  A,  57,  61  . 
Fortune-telling,  62 
Freedericksz,  no,  114,  119,  122 
French  Embassy,  45,  114,  134 

GEORGE  V,  King,  4,  48,  50,  189 

Georgians,  53 

German  atrocities,  163 

German  influence,  2 

German  prisoners,  treatment  of, 

7i»  163 

Golitzin,  106-7 
Good  Friday,  57 
Gorchakov,  37,  45,  95,  117 
Greece,  Queen  of,  57 
Grey,  Lady  S.,  128 

HANBURY- WILLIAMS,  16,  29,  62, 

75.  98,  136 
Haparanda,  72 
Harris,  Mrs.  Leverton,  69 
Hartung,  33 
Hermitage,  17 
Heyden,  20 

ILCHESTER,  Lord,  184 

JEWISH  revolutionists,  120,  137, 

155.  181 
John  of  Cronstadt,  185 

KARSAVINA,  21,  51,  55 

Kasan,  65 

Kchessihskaia,  52 

Kerenski,  6,  120,  134,  150,  181, 

186-7,  l89 
Kiev,  58-60 
Kislovodsk,     101,     149,     152-4, 

182-4 

Kitchener,  29,  49,  62,  63,  67,  131 
Knorring,  37,  100,  150 
Knox,  112,  184 


Kokovtsov,  27,  125 
Kornilov,  133,  138,  192 
Kreutz,  105 
Kudachev,  105 
Kyasht,  33 

Kyrill  Vladimirovich,  29,  44,  58, 
90,  97,  115,  135 

LENIN,  157 
Liphart,  62 
Locker-Lampson,  no 
Lukomski,  24,  33,  58 
Luynes,  Due  de,  68,  201 
Lvov,  4,  6 
Lyman,  89 

MACCAW,  70 

Marie,  Empress,  22,  88,  122,  131, 

158,  160-1,  164-5,  190,  199 
Marie  Pavlovna ;    see  Vladimir, 

Grand  Duchess 
Marie      Pavlovna      II,      Grand 

Duchess,  206 

Massacres  by  Revolutionists,  207 
Michail   Alexandrovich,    6,    116, 

121,  129,  186-7,  200 
Midnight  Sun,  71 
Milyukov,  123,  151 
Moghilev,  190 
Moscow,  14 
Murat,  54 

NAPOLEON,  34 

Neva,  57 

Newcastle-on-Tyne,  71 

Nicolai     Michailovich,     95,    97, 

123 
Nicolai  Nicolaievich,  19,  22,  30, 

138-9,  141,  161,  190 
Nijni  Novgorod,  65,  66 
Nostitz,  67,  98 

O'BEIRNE,  62 

Obolenski,  32,  151,  159 


INDEX 


227 


Olga,  Grand  Duchess,  93 
Olive,  15,  35,  74 

Orlov,  12,  15,  23,  24,  26,  30,  70, 
142 

PAGET,  52,  61 

Palei,  91,  126-7 

Paul,  Emperor,  20,  76,  88,  108 

Paul,  Grand  Duke,  31, 68,  88,  90, 

156,  170,  200 
Peasant  cruelty,  208 
Pembroke,  Earl  of,  52 
Peter  the  Great,  68,  74,  88 
Peterhof,  12,  60 
Pitirim,  90,  125 
Pokrovski,  97,  124 
Police  Report  of  Rasputin's  end, 

76 

Polivanov,  59 

Polovtsov,  n,  19, 57,  70, 123, 196 
Potocki,  12 
Protopopov,  90,  H2 
Provisional     Government,     132, 

143,  149,  155 
Purishkevich,  85-87 
Putiatin,  26,  28,  89,  126 

RADZIWILL,   12,   91,   98-9,   105, 

107,  123,  132,  140 
Rapid,  ii 
Rasputin,   3,   73-75.   79,   83-87, 

90,  92,  94,  97-8»   136-7,   159, 

168 ;  see  Appendices,  215-222 
Red  Flag,  116,  121 
Republic,  a,  120,  129 
Reval,  38 
Revolution,  scenes  of,  102,   no, 

129,  146,  171 
Rodzianko,  114,  115 
Romanovs,  i 
Rumania,  Queen  of,  73 
Russian  prisoners  roasted  alive, 

163 
Russki,  19 


SAVINSKI,  74,  94,  117 

Sazonov,  17,   30,    37,  44,  97-8, 

101 

Schahovskoi,  28 
Schuvalov,  16,  117,  162,  166 
Serge,  Grand  Duchess,  91 
Sergei  Michailovich,  58,  98 
Skirmunt,  119,  123 
Smith,  Rowland,  204 
Soup-kitchen  blessed,  24 
Soviet,  6,  135,  152,  196,  205 
Stackelberg,  118 
Stieglitz,  1 8 
Stolypin,  31 
Summer,  Russian,  20 

TATISTCHEV,  114,  117 

Terestchenko,  53,  101,  108,  206 

Terrijoki,  67 

"Tham'ara,"  56 

Thomson,  98 

Tiflis,  53 

Tobolsk,  187 

Tolstoy,  53 

Torneo,  43,  71 

Trains  for  soldiers,  26 

Trepov,  51 

Tsarskoe,  26,  143-4,  and  passim 

Tyszkiewicz,  59 

Tzesarevich,   4,   29,   31,   36,  52, 

93,    100,    116,    121,    133,    140, 

144,  186,  200 

VALENTINE,  99,  135 

Viborg  massacre,  207 

Victoria,     Grand    Duchess,     89, 

128 

Vladikavkas,  54 
Vladimir,  Grand  Duchess,  n,  12, 

21,  31,  32,  33,  36,  38,  44,  58, 60, 

61,   69,   96,    loo,    139,    152-4, 

158,  182-4,  2°5 
Vladimir,  Grand  Duke,  51 
Volga,  63-66 


228  RUSSIAN  DIARY 

WATERS,  69,  70  YALTA,  159-166 

Wilson.  99  Yusupov,  14,  74,  76,  83-88,  90, 

93,  141.  J59,  163 
XBNIA,  Grand  Duchess,  123, 

164  ZAMOYSKI,  58 


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